Still Running
by Neon Rainfall
Summary: When the Eleventh Doctor pushes Amy away, he inadvertently leaves her in the zombie apocalypse. As Amy struggles to move past her hope of his return, she must adjust to an even more dangerous life and find her place within Rick's group. Traveling with the Doctor did not prepare her for what lay ahead. [Slight 11/Amy. Eventual, slow-moving Daryl/Amy.]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_Disclaimer: I do not own either The Walking Dead or Doctor Who, and that applies to all chapters within._

_This story is post S3E1 for TWD, post S6E8 for DW, and will loosely follow the events of S3 in TWD. Individually, some elements from each respective show are AU. For DW, I completely diverge from the cannon events between S6E8 and the start of this story. Those events will be revealed in a series of flashbacks._

_And a note on ships. I should let you know that romance is not the main focus of this fic, hence the genres listed, but I will strive for a balance. I have so many other themes and issues to address as well. For the most part 11/Amy is slight enough that it can be read as friendship, as I understand some are not as fond of that ship. Daryl/Amy will be very slow moving. Lastly, rest assured that there will not be any full-fledged love triangles going on either._

_Warnings for the overall story: Some violence and gore, sad/ dark-ish themes, and character deaths._

* * *

_He didn't have to do this,_ she thought bitterly.

Amelia Pond trudged down a quiet road engulfed by a dense forest. She looked for a road sign that might give her some clue as to her current location but found none. Next she peered into the forest, but it appeared as endless as the road. The noon sun streamed through the leaves overhead and illuminated the mixture of tears and mascara running down her face. She angrily brushed the tears away.

_He'll come back,_ she thought.

Amy wanted to head into town and get her bearings. Given the oppressive humidity, she would take any town.

"_It's time you had your own adventures without me," he said. So here I am, wondering around lost on some road, somewhere in America, and it's bloody hot out. Some adventure this is._

After a solid fifteen minutes of walking, Amy reached a bend in the road. Her rising anticipation fell when only more road and trees appeared before her. More walking brought more bends which only led to further disappointment. As she rounded yet another twist in the road, something caught her eye. Up ahead, a man was walking away from her. A wave of relief washed over her as she called out to him. Maybe he could point her in the right direction. Amy called to him again.

The man staggered around, and Amy's eyes widened at the sight. She took in the tattered clothing that hung loosely over his emaciated figure. Dark, sunken eyes sharply contrasted the pale skin of his face. Thinking the man must be gravely ill, Amy rushed toward to him. But as she neared him, she realized this was not the case.

The man reached his bony hands toward her while making a low sickening growl. Amy leapt away. He grabbed a hold of her jacket but she managed to tear herself free, stumbling with the effort. Regaining her stride, she took off at a dead run, something she had become all too familiar with over the years. While running, she took a look back over her shoulder only to find that the man was running after her, albeit with a strange hobbling gait. He was still too close for comfort. She looked forward again, long red hair obscuring her vision. She cleared the hair away to see a pale green SUV driving toward her.

"Help! Help! Please stop!" Amy screamed at the car while flailing her arms.

The car did not stop, but a hand holding a gun appeared out of a rolled down window. A shot rang out, and Amy heard the body fall behind her. Stunned, Amy stopped and looked behind her to see the man lying dead. The car stopped and out jumped a young, wiry Asian man and a young, brown-haired woman. They approached Amy.

Amy could only stand there shaking and breathless, partly due to running, but also from shock and fear that these people resorted to shooting the man dead. Sure, he attacked her and staggered after her in a deranged way, but the last thing Amy expected to hear was gunfire.

Amy gave them a wary glance. She looked to the dead man again and studied his features, confirming her eyes had not previously deceived her. She no longer could keep the horror she felt to herself.

"What…what was wrong with him?" she asked them with wide eyes.

The young man and woman returned her wary glance. This woman before them with the fiery red hair wore a mini-skirt and tight leather jacket. Her hair appeared vibrant and clean. No one dressed or looked like that anymore. And how could she possibly not know what was going on? They wondered if this was all an act on her part. However, they also noticed the smudged mascara streaks on her face.

In short, they did not know what to make of her.

The young Asian man questioned Amy, "What are you doing alone in the woods?"

"What do you mean?" Amy demanded. She quickly added, innocently, "A girl can't just go for a quiet stroll?"

"Are you crazy?" he hissed. "That walker nearly got you!"

Feeling threatened, Amy snapped, "Why don't you answer my first question?" She raised her voice, emphasizing each word, "What was wrong with that man?"

He just answered her with a perplexed look.

The woman with the brown hair observed all of this silently, but she finally addressed her partner with a worried look, "Glenn, we need to get going. More could show up soon."

Amy's dark eyes narrowed upon hearing that last line. After a moment she replied in a softer tone, "Look. I don't want to cause any trouble. Actually I'm in a bit of a situation myself, I'm quite lost." She took a step forward. "Do you know of someplace I could stay?"

Amy quickly realized she had not chosen her words wisely enough. Glenn snatched his gun and trained it on her. She startled and raised her hands.

"Cut the act. How can you not know what's going on? What do you want?" Glenn hissed.

Defensive, Amy replied, "Oi. I'm just passing through. I need to get back to England."

More puzzled than ever, Glenn could only manage to ask, "What?"

Trying to maintain her cool, Amy replied evenly, "Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone you shot..."

But before Amy could finish, a raspy growl of a nearby walker caused the brown-haired woman and Glenn to whip around. The woman rushed forward to stab it in the eye with her knife. Amy screamed, and Glenn responded by stepping closer to her with his gun motioning her to stop it. It did not matter though as a herd of walkers poured out of the woods. Glenn turned his attention to the herd and fired off a few rounds at the nearest walkers.

The brown-haired woman yelled to Glenn, "Come on! We'll just have to take her!"

Glenn let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed Amy by the arm to shove her into the backseat. He took a seat beside her, still pointing the gun at her, while the other woman slammed the driver's side door closed. She let out a previously held breath before promptly stepping on the gas. A dozen pair of walker hands slipped off the windows as the SUV lurched forward.

Glenn picked up a bag off the floor and tossed it at Amy, "Put that on."

She shot a look at him. "Is that really necessary?"

Glenn pointed the gun closer to her.

"Fine," she muttered.

Amy lowered the bag over her head and darkness reigned.

* * *

Amy leaned against the railing surrounding the TARDIS console, her slender arms crossed. She stared darkly at the Doctor as he fiddled with the console controls. "You don't have to do this."

The Doctor wheeled around and yelled, "Of course I do!" He had a wild, yet pained look in his deep, ancient eyes.

Amy replied firmly, "Doctor, we are doing just fine."

When the Doctor would not look at her, panic rose in Amy's chest, "Please Doctor, I need you in my life. Rory's gone and there's no one else besides you." Her eyes gleamed with tears ready to spill over.

"No, Amy. You don't. I've put you in danger for far too long. It's time you had your own adventures without me."

Amy was so overcome by his words that what he said next sounded like a distant echo in her ears.

"I can't do this to you anymore, Amy. You have your entire life ahead of you and I'm not going to stand in the way."

In what she hoped came across as firm, Amy said, "I know what you're doing. Pushing me away like this."

The Doctor turned his head to glare at her, before returning his attention to the console.

Amy continued, "Doctor, I think you're just scared and won't admit it. And that's okay. Just think about this for a bit."

The Doctor snapped, "All I do is think!"

Taken aback, Amy did not respond for a few minutes.

Choked by anger, Amy asked shakily, "Where are you taking me? Some place terrible?"

The Doctor replied, "No, Amy. America. Present day. I think you can handle that." He was using that tone. The one when he explained something obvious.

"Why America?" Amy demanded.

The Doctor lashed out, "Because you need to focus on something. You don't like it there, focus on getting back home."

If Amy had not been furiously gripping the railing behind her, she would have fallen due to the unforgiving landing of the TARDIS. Before she could settle, the Doctor grabbed her firmly by the arm and led her out the doors. They ended up standing in the middle of a road and the noon sun radiated off of the tarmac.

The Doctor's face softened, as he placed his fingers under Amy's chin and gently lifted her head to stop her from staring at the pavement.

"Look at me," he murmured.

Her eyes flicked up to meet his. The hurt and pain in Amy's face was almost too much for the Doctor to handle, but he had made up his mind.

Both of his hearts broke as he said his next words, "Amy, you know that I care about you deeply. Always have, always will. So trust me when I say that it's best that you leave. I know that it doesn't feel that way now, but you will find your way. You are the magnificent Amy Pond."

And with that he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Amy stifled back a sob, but mascara stained tears begun to run down her cheeks. She could hear them hitting her jacket, one by one, as she watched the Doctor approach the TARDIS door. Once there, he hesitated for a second.

He half turned around and called to her, "Please don't cry, Amy. I always come back, you know that."

With a slight smile on his face, he waved goodbye to her before closing the door behind him.

Inside the TARDIS, the smile slipped off the Doctor's face. He crept to the console and directed the TARDIS to drift through empty space. With a look around, he realized the space around him had not felt this deserted in a long time.

Outside, Amy's heart constricted painfully when the TARDIS door closed and consequently blocked her view of him. However, she took in the loveliness of the blue police box and tucked it away in her mind, like a prized treasure, to always remember.

_Goodbye raggedy man,_ she thought as the TARDIS dematerialized.

Not wanting to accept that only air remained where the TARDIS stood just moments ago, her eyes traveled to the ground again. She stared at yellow rectangle beneath her feet, not quite sure what had just happened. After a moment, she took in a shaky deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She looked up, took in her surroundings, and walked off following the broken yellow line.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank_ you so much for reading! I am so excited about this story and to be finally sharing it!_

_I'd also like to say a huge thank you to my RL friend, M, for looking over this chapter and patiently listening to me go on and on about this story._

_Lastly, in my hope to make this story and my writing the best I can, I am always looking for more critique. I have written more about this matter on my profile if you are so interested._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, and reviewed. You all make my day! I'd also like to say another giant thank you to my RL friend, M, for editing this chapter also! Enjoy!_

* * *

Amy tried to focus on the turns she felt the car making, as if she might somehow piece together where these two strangers were taking her. That endeavor did not last long however, given the onslaught of fear she felt. Eventually, the car came to a stop, and the woman killed the engine.

Amy heard the car doors open and felt Glenn tug at her arm.

"Come on," he said.

Glenn led her out of the car and up a gravel covered hill. Metal clanked and scraped in what she guessed sounded like moving gates.

Glenn spoke to someone, "Thanks for letting us in, Carl. Go tell Rick we've got company."

"Okay," that person answered. He sounded like a teenage boy. Amy then heard the sound of running feet on gravel.

Glenn led Amy up some stairs with much difficulty, since she kept tripping. She heard another gate close and the opening of a door. In a few steps, what little light that previously seeped through the bag had disappeared. However, Amy welcomed the darkness, because she felt immediate relief from the scorching sun. After walking through a few twists and turns, Glenn brought her to a stop.

A male voice called out, "Well…what have we got here?"

Glenn responded, "Found her on the road after getting the medicine."

A different male voice, gruff and upset, added, "So ya brought her here?"

"We didn't have a choice, Daryl. A herd of walkers appeared before we could get things resolved."

Amy tensed hearing this, _Resolved? What is the matter with these people? I wish they would explain who these walker people are._

The first man spoke again, "Alright. Put her in that cell."

Glenn led Amy a short distance and then stopped. He began to pat down her pockets.

While Glenn searched Amy, Maggie motioned to Rick.

In a low voice, Maggie explained the situation to him, "We found her running from a walker."

Maggie paused and looked puzzled, before whispering, "She has no clue what the walkers are. She thought we shot a man."

At this, Rick tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

Daryl, listening in on their conversation, walked over to join them outside the cell.

Glenn held up the contents of the girl's pocket- a key and a cell phone - for all of them to see. He placed the objects on the table and then removed the bag from her head. Remaining near, he watched her while the others talked. Upon seeing her face, Rick looked to Maggie with one eyebrow raised.

"We found her that way," Maggie defended. "I actually think she was crying before she ran into that walker."

"Was she bit? Scratched?" Rick asked.

"We didn't get a chance to check or ask," Maggie replied.

Rick sighed before he entered the cell.

With a "Thanks," Rick dismissed Glenn. "I think we'll be alright," he added while glancing at the red-headed girl.

As Glenn turned away, Rick called to him, "Can you watch Hershel for the rest of the day?"

Glenn nodded to Rick and then walked out the cell toward Maggie. He gave her a long hug before retreating.

Free from the bag over her head, Amy found herself standing in a large room filled with round cafeteria tables.

_This day is getting stranger by the minute._

A man with short wavy brown hair approached her and asked, "How many are in your group?"

Amy did not respond right away as she continued to take in her surroundings. She saw another man wearing a sleeveless shirt with a crossbow slung over his shoulder, who she assumed to be the owner of the gruff voice, and a curious teenage boy wearing a sheriff hat. The woman she first encountered on the road also stood with them outside the cell door.

Growing tired of their suspicion, Amy replied wearily, "I don't have a group. Before an hour ago, I was only with one other person. But now I'm on my own."

Amy looked around at everyone, noting their surprised expressions.

"Why won't any of you explain what is going on? No one has told me what's wrong with those people in the woods." Amy added, exasperated.

Without speaking, the brown-haired man just observed her for a minute. A wave of sympathy passed over his face before speaking again, "Were you held hostage by this person? Locked away?"

"No," she breathed.

He paused again, trying to make sense of her words.

"How can you not know what is going on?"

"Like I said, I'm just passing through. How should I know about your problems?" she replied in a biting tone.

"Okay," he merely replied as his features stiffened. He turned his attention to the people standing by the door, carrying out a silent conversation with them.

"Hey!" Amy interrupted. "You can't hold me here. Let me go!"

Looking back at with her set eyes, he replied, "Not going to happen."

Anger took a hold of her face.

Perplexed, he asked, "You don't understand what's out there, do you?"

_Another vague reference,_ Amy thought. A slight unease showed on her face and he noticed it.

In a softer tone, he assured her, "We won't hurt you as long as you don't give us a reason to. I promise you that."

"How can I trust you?" Amy asked, "Your people just up and shot a guy while driving by."

"Yeah… you don't get it," he simply answered.

As he turned away from her, the man with the crossbow watched her closely. The brown-haired man locked the door and motioned the brown-haired woman to follow.

Immediately after the group left, Amy snatched her phone and key from the table and stuffed them back into her pockets. She walked over to the door and was quite surprised to see the insides of a large prison. She saw the brown-haired woman and man walk down the cell block talking amongst themselves and that the other man and boy had disappeared from the view her cell allowed. Trash lay everywhere on the floor and the only source of light came from the sun through dirtied windows. Amy found the disarrayed state of the prison disturbing.

_Where are the prisoners? And why is this lot mad enough to live in a prison?_

Everything that happened thus far did not sit well with her. She wrapped her hands around the bars and pressed her face against the cool metal while she analyzed her surroundings.

* * *

While walking, Rick said to Maggie, "Here's a girl who has no weapons, no group, and no clue. How could she not have been holed up somewhere, like those prisoners? I'm not liking how vague her story is."

"I don't think she's a threat," Maggie said without emotion.

Rick sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "For now we can't let our guard down. If she is lying, we could all be in trouble. Regardless, there is no way we can let her go. Give her some supplies, check for bites, see if she has anything else to say."

"Alright," Maggie replied curtly and turned to walk away.

"Hey," Rick said gently as he reached out and caught her by the arm. He craned his head in an attempt to make eye contact while she avoided his.

"He's still here," he said placing a hand on her cheek.

With her eyes squeezed shut and anguish on her brow, she nodded several times. She brought her hand up to his and squeezed it in thanks before walking off.

Maggie gathered some more practical clothes for the girl along with a water bottle. On her way to the cell, she passed Daryl and nodded to the cell. He followed her and stood outside, keeping watch again. When Maggie entered, she found the red- headed girl sitting on a small bed, staring dully at the floor. The girl had since removed her leather jacket, only wearing a t-shirt underneath.

"Hey," Maggie said to the girl.

Amy looked up. "Hey," she replied. She noticed the same man in the sleeveless shirt watching from outside. Amy felt slightly disgusted, _They already searched me._

"Brought you some clothes and water," the brown-haired woman said. She paused before speaking again, "Will you tell me why you were on that road?"

Amy simply stared unblinking at her. "Thank you for the stuff," she replied.

The woman before her let out a frustrated sigh. Mechanically, she asked, "That guy on the road, did he scratch or bite you?"

"No. Looked like he wanted to though. He grabbed my arm, but I don't have any marks," Amy replied, annoyance evident in her voice.

The brown haired woman glanced at her arms while Amy said this, confirming no scratches marred her skin.

"Good, you're safe then," she said with a hint of bitterness.

Amy felt even more puzzled than before.

"I'm Maggie by the way. What is your name?"

Amy replied hesitantly, "Amy."

"It's nice to meet you," she said behind a forced smile before she headed to the door. As the man with the crossbow opened it, she turned to Amy adding, "Let me know if you need anything."

Amy remained unresponsive.

As the man locked the door, she looked up at him. They shared a cold stare for a moment, before he stalked off.

Upon hearing a slight commotion outside the cell door, Amy approached it.

She saw a teenage blonde girl whose eyes shone with unshed tears. A pregnant woman looked to Maggie, her face lined with concern.

Maggie's voice dropped in pitch, thick with worry, "How is he?"

The pregnant woman shook her head. "Still out."

Maggie covered her mouth with her hand and bent slightly at the waist. The young girl wrapped her arms around Maggie as the girl stifled back a sob. The other woman gently embraced them both.

Maggie had her face buried in the girl's hair for quite some time as she held her. Eventually she looked to the pregnant woman. "I'd like to go see him now," Maggie said thickly.

"Of course," the older woman said. She placed a hand on Maggie's back, ushering her and the girl along the cell block row.

Amy watched the trio somberly enter a dark cell. The grim atmosphere had settled over Amy also. She could not but help wonder what had happened and selfishly she worried for herself too.

For a long time, Amy only heard the occasional sound of murmuring, until a scream pierced the air.

"Help! Help! Do something!"

Amy jerked to attention. The voice sounded like it belonged to the young girl. She backed up against the wall and craned her head in an attempt to get a better look into the cell, but she still could not see anything.

Her mouth went dry and her stomach sunk. The day had proven intense at best.

Amy settled on the floor by the door, awaiting more information. A half hour later, the boy with the sheriff hat led the blonde girl out of the cell, and Amy scrambled to her feet upon seeing them. She held the bars and looked at the pair expectantly. The girl appeared a bit dazed, unaware of Amy watching, but the boy noticed. Annoyed, he briefly glared at Amy, before looking back at the girl. He held open the door for her, and they exited outside.

Amy returned to the bed and tucked the new clothes under it. With nothing better to do, she lay down on the lumpy mattress. Letting out a tired sigh, she twirled a lock of her red hair while staring at the bland ceiling above her. Tired of twisting her hair, she raised her hands to inspect them. She had her favorite color nail polish on, red.

As the hours of waiting slowly got to Amy, her suspicions of the group and their actions grew. She looked around the cell, hoping to find something that could ensure her escape, but such a thing eluded her. She could not understand why they would lock her up for nothing. Suddenly, she realized all may not be as dire as she thought.

_He'll come back._

It was just enough hope to help calm her racing thoughts. It was something for her to hold onto, to get through whatever may come.

_He'll realize he made a huge mistake and will have to come back. He doesn't really expect to just get on without me like nothing had happened, does he?_

A slight disturbance arose in her thoughts, though. It was not even formed into a recognizable idea, but she did not want to admit it. As a blanket of fog blocks the sun, this too diminished her hope.

Even if the Doctor immediately decided to return, he would probably mess up his times. That was almost guaranteed. However, he intended for her to start a new life and that meant him staying away.

Even still, this would not stop a part of her from waiting and hoping.

Growing restless and stiff, she rose to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes glazed over, after she had stared at the floor for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time.

A rattling of keys startled Amy out of her daze, and her eyes shot to the door to find that Maggie had returned. This time, the young boy wearing a sheriff hat silently kept watch from the door. He remained alert, his hand never straying from the small gun at his hip.

Amy looked to Maggie with wide eyes, "What happened up there?"

Maggie ignored her question. "Brought you some food," she said flatly as she handed it over.

"Thanks," Amy said warily.

Awkward silence stood between them for a moment before Amy spoke again, "Will you tell me who, or I guess as I gather, what those things were in the woods today?"

Maggie took a seat on the floor leaning up against the wall. Sadness filled her eyes before she closed them.

"We call them walkers, as I'm sure you heard earlier."

Before Maggie could continue, Amy asked, "Are they people?"

Maggie dryly replied, "They were."

A distinct heaviness in the air settled over the woman as they sat in silence for a long time.

Maggie finally spoke again, "The person they were before is dead, only to be replaced by a mindless walking corpse that would like nothing better than to eat us all. They are everywhere and far outnumber us. No place is safe."

Maggie paused and looked at her seriously. "The main thing you need to know is this: don't get bit or scratched by them. If you do, you will soon turn into one. You got lucky today," she said grimly.

Like a vice, the horror pressed in on Amy's chest. She could not even think.

"I'm sorry, Amy. This is the world we live in." Maggie bluntly told her.

Amy's already pale face turned a few shades lighter.

Maggie rose to approach her and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"You should get some rest," she said.

As Maggie and the boy left, Amy could only sit in shock. Overwhelming terror suffocated any thoughts. After a while, Amy noticed that shadows had overtaken her cell. She rose and walked to the cell door. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she saw darkness creeping through the cell block also. Still disconnected from her mind, she paced back and forth within her cage for a few minutes. Oddly, it seemed to help.

When her mind caught up with itself, her thoughts began to race, and in turn, her pace quickened. She eventually felt dizzy from the mad path she followed around her cell. When her fatigued body protested walking, she lay back down and fixed the blanket around her. Amy wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, but her restless mind would not allow it. She tossed and turned for several hours, desperate to find sleep. Stranded between sleep and wakefulness, the hours did not quite feel like an eternity, but she could not find relief in sleep either.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_Thanks again to M for editing this chapter and to everyone for reading, following, and leaving reviews! I'd also like to thank fleja for leaving me a guest review. I wish I could PM you my thanks!_

* * *

Still half asleep, Amy rolled over in bed enjoying the warmth of the blanket around her. She smiled, hoping for another good day with the Doctor. A few moments later, her eyes snapped open.

_The Doctor is gone._

As the surrounding cell filled her vision, the realization of her actual situation sunk in. She froze as the horror sunk in.

_How about I just go back to sleep and this all goes away?_

Sleep eluded her, however; and soon she heard noises from the others. An angry groan escaped her mouth. She slowly rose and made her way to the cell door. Standing there for a while, she tried to shake off the doziness. Soon after, Maggie approached the door with food again. This time she just passed it through the bars, looking grimmer than before.

"That guy from yesterday, Rick, would like to talk to you again today. I suggest you answer honestly if you want out of this cell," Maggie said. She did not stick around for a reply from Amy.

Amy wished she knew what had happened the previous day to have set Maggie on edge.

Amy sat on the floor next to the door, watching the early morning activity as she devoured her ration of food. While there, Amy discovered there were several other people in the group she had not seen the day before. Even though Amy had only spent one tense day in the prison, she realized that part of her actually wanted to stay with the group.

_Not that I have anywhere to go anyway,_ she thought bleakly. _And there are those things out there._

Even if the group let her go, she figured surviving by oneself would be a difficult task at best. She knew that if she wanted to see the Doctor again, she would have to remain in one piece.

A few hours later, Maggie, Rick, and the man with the crossbow arrived. Amy returned to her spot on the bed while Maggie and Rick entered the cell. The other man leaned against the far wall, just inside the door. Amy immediately noticed a lack of worry on Maggie's face.

Rick spoke first, "These walkers are worldwide. If you weren't locked away and won't account for where you came from… well, that looks really bad for me and my group. What actually happened?"

"I've just been nearby, someplace quiet," Amy said.

Rick leveled with her, "Look, you need to give me a straight answer as to where you came from. Otherwise I'm going to have to put you in a separate cell block."

"Why must I go?" she demanded.

"I have to protect my people."

"What has happened to make you all distrust everyone so much?"

"You really don't get it," Rick said as he made to leave. He stopped and ran a hand roughly over his face. Turning sharply to her, he said in a raised voice, "You don't know what we've gone through!"

Taking a step closer to her, he locked eyes with her. He whispered firmly, "You don't know what we have lost. How people have hurt us."

The two remained staring at each other for a moment before Amy broke the silence.

Defiantly, she said, "You're not going to believe me anyway."

Rick growled, "Start talking." He walked a few steps away to sit at one of the metal tables.

Amy sighed and looked directly at Rick. "Honestly, I can't give you a straight answer. Before I walked down that road, I was both everywhere and nowhere. I traveled with a man. Well, he's not actually a man, but he has this blue telephone box." She paused and took a deep breath in before continuing, "It's a time machine and we journeyed through all of space and time. But this man, he leaves everyone eventually. So he left me here."

Not knowing what else to say, Amy left it at that. Everyone else was also at a loss for words except for the man standing by the far wall.

"That's the weirdest damn story I've ever heard in ma life."

Rick called after him as he exited through the door, "Where are you going?"

"Someone's gotta check the perimeter. We don't live in no fairytale."

Amy noted the angel wings on his vest and her eyes narrowed. _Ironic,_ she thought.

Maggie gently said, "Don't mind Daryl."

Amy remained tight lipped, still looking past the door.

They all sat in silence for a moment before Amy added pleadingly, "Please, I didn't know anything of these walkers before I was left here and it's only been one day."

Rick mulled this over for a while. He sighed and said, "I don't know if I should believe you because your story is so ridiculous or if it means just that."

Amy's brows furrowed. _Please believe me_, she thought desperately.

She felt a tightness form in her chest as Rick got up and walked toward the door.

"What are you going to do?" Amy called after him.

"I don't know yet," he merely replied before disappearing from the cell.

Maggie threw her a comforting look before closing the cell door to follow after Rick.

Left alone, the tightness in Amy's chest only worsened.

* * *

Maggie and Rick exited the cell block and stepped out into the bright sunlight.

"That's some story," Rick said.

"It sure was," Maggie replied.

"Time travel?" Rick puzzled. Lost in thought, the two stood in silence for a while.

"Why choose a story like that? If she's going to lie she could've said anything else," he said.

"She could have, but it is possible she's telling the truth," Maggie replied.

Rick narrowed his eyes.

Maggie countered quickly, "I'm not saying I believe the story, but I do believe in her. I really think she's not a threat. She was lost, completely overwhelmed by the walkers, and thought she could go to England. Not to mention the cell phone she was carrying and how made up she was. Even if she was trying to trick us, why would she go to all of that trouble?"

Rick remained skeptical. "What if that's exactly what she wants us to think?"

"I don't really care where she came from. She had no idea what those walkers were. And once I told her about them, I think she realized that she doesn't have anywhere to go either."

Rick's jaw tensed, and he shook his head as he looked off to the side.

Maggie grew more frustrated. "You really want to be responsible for cutting her loose? For her death?"

"Yeah, and what if someday she turns on our group? You want to be responsible for that?"

Maggie sighed, "She's not going to hurt us."

Rick continued to avoid eye contact. "Regardless, there is no way she is setting foot outside this prison. I want her in a separate cell block, just as Oscar and Axel are."

"And how is that any better? Spending all her time alone like that? What kind of life is that?" Maggie demanded.

Rick remained quiet after she finished. He then saw Daryl and Glenn walking their rounds and called them over.

To Glenn, Rick asked, "What did you think of that girl on the road?"

Glenn said, "I had no idea. She didn't act like anyone we've ever come across before."

Maggie jumped in again, "For all we know she really was held hostage or something and just isn't thinking clearly."

Rick clenched his jaw again.

Before Rick could reply, Daryl added dryly, "That's just what we need, a crazy person to look after."

Maggie looked at Daryl with narrow eyes. "I wouldn't throw stones if I were you."

"Oh yeah? I do plenty around here!" Daryl snarled.

Rick interrupted their argument, "Enough."

He then sighed, finally giving in, "I don't completely trust her, but I have to agree, she's different. Let's go let her out."

Maggie looked relieved.

"Believe I'm going to be watching her," Rick cautioned.

Daryl nodded in assent. His eyes had a steely glint to them, but he withdrew before anyone could comment.

* * *

Consumed with worry, Amy startled when she heard her cell door open. She looked up from the TARDIS key in her hand to see Maggie and Rick entering the cell.

"I believe you won't betray our group to others. Don't make me think otherwise," Rick told Amy.

To Maggie, Rick said, "Show her to an empty cell."

Rick turned to leave but Amy called to him, "I wish I had some sort of proof. Something to show that these seemingly impossibilities are real. But I don't have anything other than this key. I don't fully understand all this or what you have gone through and I won't pretend that I do. But please, please just have faith in me."

Still half-turned away, Rick listened to her but only nodded in reply before he left the cell.

Amy wished he and the others would acknowledge her past as a time traveler, but she felt immense relief that they did not see her as a threat.

Amy looked to Maggie.

"He doesn't trust me, does he? I suppose that bloke with the crossbow feels the same way."

"Daryl," Maggie offered. She sighed and added gently, "Just give them time."

Maggie led her out of the cell and along the cell block row. While passing by, she saw several people gathered in one cell looking down at an older man with a long white beard. They all wore smiles and looks of relief. Maggie glanced over too, a smile playing at her lips.

They climbed the stairs and walked down another row of cells. A bare cell, apart for a small stool and desk which sat across from a bunk bed, stood before her at the end of the row.

Maggie left her to settle in, and Amy looked at the beds again. She let a quiet laugh escape her lips. She could not help but think of the Doctor and his love of the bunk bed.

_It's a bed…with a ladder!_

A faint half-smile stole her features at the memory. If he stood there with her he would surely call for rights to the top bed. Then he would scamper up like a little kid and once there, send a wide, boyish grin down at her.

Once he got over his little obsession, he would set out to fix their situation. He would rattle off several ideas, some of them incomprehensible. But that was his way of processing information and soon he would come up with a brilliant idea, a look of elation lighting up his eyes. He would grab her by the hand and they would run off to save the day. And yet, there she stood; the only thing in her hand was a useless key. It would be up to her, and her alone, to fight on.

_He should be here,_ she sadly thought.

Where no Doctor sat, Amy dumped off her extra clothes. The lower bed, which looked just as lumpy as the first, contained a dull, thin blanket along with a small pillow. Cracked white paint blotted the walls.

What a vapid place to await the Doctor's return.


	4. Chapter 4

The row had grown quiet, and Amy decided she would like to get some fresh air. She descended the stairs and as she passed the cells on the floor, she came across the old man's cell. She stopped outside of it seeing that the others had left. When she saw the dreadful sight before her, the strange events of the past two days instantly started making more sense. His right leg was missing below the knee, and a bloody bandage covered the stump.

She quickly averted her eyes and felt anxious. No longer wanting to awkwardly stand outside his cell door, she took a quick step away before he called her.

"Hello dear. Who are you?"

Amy stepped back to the door and faced him, seeing that he looked kindly at her.

"I'm Amy," she replied. "I came here yesterday."

He nodded. "Come on in. I don't bite," he joked.

Still feeling awkward, Amy obliged.

He remained lying down and occasionally grimaced in pain.

"How did you come to join us?" he asked after a wave of pain passed.

"Maggie and Glenn rescued me on the road from walkers. Twice."

He nodded in approval, and Amy thought she saw a hint of pride in his smile.

"Could you get me an extra pillow?"

Amy grabbed a pillow off the top bunk and helped him adjust it behind his head.

"Thank you, Amy," he said as he rested his head back. He closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm Hershel."

"It's nice to meet you," Amy said smiling.

"May I ask… what happened to your leg?" Amy asked hesitantly after a pause in their conversation.

"Walker bit me," he said, opening his eyes again.

Amy's eyes widened with fear. "How are you?... not…" she stammered.

"Rick saved me by cutting it off," he said. "He's a good man," he added when she said nothing.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Maggie asked.

Amy jumped back. She looked over to see that Maggie and the young blonde girl had entered the cell. Tight lipped, Maggie stared at Amy.

"It's alright, Maggie. I was just having a nice chat here with Amy," he said easily with a smile.

"I best get going," Amy said to no one particular. She slinked out of the cell, while avoiding the girls' eyes.

Feeling even more uneasy, Amy retreated to the relative solitary her cell offered.

* * *

A couple hours later, while Amy rearranged the few items in her cell, she heard faint footsteps behind her.

"Would you help me with the laundry?" a woman asked her.

Amy turned to face a petite woman with short gray hair holding a large basket filled with clothes.

"Sure," Amy answered smiling. "Can I take that for you?" she offered.

"Thanks," the woman replied with a grateful smile. She rolled her shoulders after handing the basket to Amy, as if they were sore.

"I'm Carol," she added.

"Amy."

Amy followed Carol down the stairs and outside the building where a few wash buckets and clothes lines waited for them.

The women washed the clothes in silence, enjoying the warm sunshine overhead. Amy enjoyed the fresh air and relative peacefulness of the moment after the past two stressful days. Their spot overlooked a large field surround by a maze of fences. Beyond the fences, however, many dark figures wandered. The number of those people in such a random spot surprised Amy.

_Well, walkers_, she thought to herself.

Oddly, Amy thought how strange it seemed to call them walkers, even though it made sense.

_That's going to take some getting used to._

A shiver ran through her body as she realized just how many of them lingered. Amy sat far enough away that she could not make out any of the walkers' features. But she no longer felt the bright sunshine, almost as if a thick cloud had settled overhead. Desperate to think about something else, Amy realized she still did not know her location within the U.S.

"Where are we?" she blurted out loud.

Carol looked up at her, amusement apparent.

"What?" Amy questioned.

Carol simply shook her head. "Nothing," she replied. She studied Amy's face, trying to figure out if she seriously just asked that. When Amy continued to wait for an answer, a brief flash of surprise registered on Carol's face.

"Somewhere outside of Atlanta," she finally replied while wringing out water from a shirt.

"And where is that?" Amy asked.

Carol looked at her, momentarily expressionless.

"Georgia…" Carol looked for a sign of understanding from Amy but found none. "Southern U.S…" her words lingered. It was not a question, but she felt baffled by what she had just seen and heard.

Amy finally nodded. "Oh, okay."

An uneasy feeling sprouted then in Amy's mind, especially when she thought back to the other people's resistance towards her story just a few hours prior.

_First Dan's… no Daryl's outburst, then Rick, and now this lady._

Amy sighed silently.

When she drew a blouse out of her wash bucket, she noticed the red polish had chipped at the tips of her nails.

_I'll have to redo those later._

She angrily groaned out loud for having forgotten that she currently did not have easy access to meaningless objects like nail polish.

Carol looked up from her work and to Amy questionably.

Amy just shook her head. "It's okay," she told her.

Carol pursed her lips together, looking unconvinced, before turning her attention back to her bucket.

Back in her own thoughts, Amy knew the foolishness of concerning herself with material objects, but it painfully reminded her of the current situation. Her life was falling apart just like the polish on her nails.

Amy looked up from her wash bucket to stare past the fence again.

She attempted to push her awkward feelings aside to salvage what she could of their conversation. Mercifully, she remembered another question she had. She knew it would not help her credibility any, given that it was no better than the last, but she needed to know.

"How long has this been going on for?" Amy asked delicately.

Carol noticed Amy looking at the walkers again. "About a year."

Amy looked over at Carol and saw how her features had turned worn and heavy. Obviously it had been a long year at that.

"I'm sorry," Amy said.

Carol attempted a crooked smile in thanks of Amy's sympathy, but her eyes remained dull.

* * *

Throughout the day, Amy followed Carol around. She learned about the necessary chores and officially met the other people in the group. Most of her introductions were rather awkward, and the others struggled to hold a conversation with her. When Carol introduced the teenage blonde girl, Beth, to her, Amy thought Beth showed the most kindness of the lot. The quiet girl smiled shyly at her with genuine interest. Sometime later, she approached Amy and invited her to explore the secured parts of the prison grounds with her. The two chattered easily about their observations.

Afterward, the girls walked through the courtyard on their way back to the cell block when they saw Carol removing the last articles of clothing from a line. They approached her and Carol smiled at them.

"Did you have fun exploring?"

"Yes! We did," Beth answered smiling. "I can carry that basket," she offered.

"Thanks," Carol answered as Beth picked it up. Beth walked off with it toward the door, and Carol turned her attention to Amy then.

"I was wondering if you'd help me change Hershel's bandage," Carol asked.

"Yeah, of course," Amy answered quickly, but she felt a little sick at the prospect.

Carol led Amy inside and to his cell. Given Amy's strange encounter earlier, she felt anxious again standing in his cell, even under Carol's invitation. But Amy did not have time to dwell on that, because Carol instructed Amy to open packets of gauze and other materials. Amy prepared the fresh bandages as Carol carefully removed the outer layers of the bandage. Amy laid the open packets on the bed within Carol's reach and put the first bloodied layers into a bag.

"Amy, if you're squeamish about blood, I'd suggest looking away now," Carol told Amy as she concentrated on prying the last layer away. Amy's attention was drawn to Hershel's contorted face, which paled by the second. She wondered if he would pass out from the excruciating pain. He bit his lip, trying to not make any noise, but he finally inhaled sharply.

Amy stole a quick glance at the wound and immediately wished she had not. She tore her gaze from the red, angry stump. Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breathe through her nose when she felt an unpleasant sensation in her mouth. When Amy opened her eyes, she saw Hershel's outstretched hand and firmly grasped it in her own.

"I'm going to apply the ointment now, Hershel," Carol informed him.

Hershel nodded and gripped Amy's hand even more tightly.

A few agonizing minutes later, Amy dared to look over and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the stark white layer of gauze covering the area. With the first layer applied, a little tension in the room dissipated.

"Well, that should do it," Carol said several minutes later as she rose from the side of the bed. "Thanks for all of you help today, Amy. Go on and get some dinner," she said with motherly concern. Even covered in blood, Carol's kindness toward those around her shone bright.

Amy smiled back at her.

"Amy," Hershel said looking up to her. "Thank you."

She nodded and smiled in response.

"Bye," Amy said, looking to both Carol and Hershel before exiting the cell.

* * *

Amy did not know it at the time, but after she told Maggie, Rick, and Daryl about her life, the story had circulated throughout the entire group within a few hours. It was not easy to top the weirdness of their everyday life, but somehow she had done it. What a juicy bit of gossip for them. But rather than wonder about the details of her previous journey or even its plausibility, they instead collectively pondered what could have driven her to tell such a tale. Did someone kidnap her and push her to the point of insanity? Or had the world's hardships caused a mental break in her?

Most of them did not view her as a direct threat but questioned letting her join the group. She appeared sane, once they ignored story, and she acted nice enough. But would she burden them in the future? Or even worse, betray them someday? Despite these thoughts, no one objected Rick's decision. Some even pitied her; they believed she would not stand a chance on her own.

Any questions the others held quickly subsided. After all, trying to hold their fragile existence together kept them busy enough from dwelling on such ideas. Any remaining questions just sat at the back of their minds. Always present, but not at the forefront, as Amy gradually integrated into their group.

For Amy, however, she knew the others did not believe her. Feelings of awkwardness dominated her second day with the group. The faltering conversations, the surprised glances made in her direction, and the brief looks the others shared amongst themselves. She picked up on all of them. Very quickly she learned she best just shut her mouth around them when it came to her previous experiences.

_They must think I am crazy. Not that I can really blame them…_

She felt like a kid again, everyone dismissing the stories of her raggedy doctor.

* * *

As an unspoken agreement, Amy joined Carol outside each day to wash clothes and hang them to dry in the wind. Amy kept busy throughout the day by helping the women with the other chores too. She felt grateful after all to them for taking her in, and she intended to do her fair share of work. But she was also trying to avoid a trouble that seized her heart throughout the day, right up to her last waking moment. As the candlelight flickered, ominous shadows moved through the cell block in the evenings. The shadows captivated her eyes, rendering her immobile. Amy felt especially vulnerable then as her thoughts ran rampant and unchecked. They even manifested themselves in her dreams.

While Amy had experienced quite a shock when she first heard about the walkers, she managed to remain relatively calm about the fact that the world had ended. She liked to think that having traveled with the Doctor had somewhat prepared her to handle all of this weird stuff. Remaining in the present, she solely focused on the day's activities before her, holding out hope that he would return shortly. When he did not come back that week, she just told herself that her busy Time Lord never excelled at arriving on time. She did her best to remain patient, as she believed he would come any day.

By waiting for his arrival though, she had unknowingly put up barriers between herself and the rest of the group. She absolutely could not tell these people that she was waiting for a man to whisk her away from this world and all of its troubles. For the meantime, Amy had to make sure she played her part well enough to remain in the group's good graces. If the Doctor was going to save her, she would have to endure long enough to see it happen. In a way, even though she saw the walkers outside with her own eyes, it just did not feel real to her. In her mind, she had already left the prison and returned to the Doctor, her Doctor.

* * *

One evening later that week, Amy sat on the main floor of the cell block with her back resting up against the wall. While mending a shirt, Beth approached her. She smiled timidly at Amy, wringing her hands slightly. Beth opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, as if unsure what to say.

Amy smiled reassuringly at her. "You're wondering about where I came from, aren't you?"

Beth released a held breath. "Yes," she whispered behind a timid smile.

"Thought so," Amy replied playfully. She patted the ground next to her.

"What would you like to know?" Amy said as she turned her head to smile at the now sitting girl.

Beth pondered this a second before asking, "Did you see any aliens?"

"You bet I did," she said grinning.

"Weren't you scared of them?"

Amy laughed at her cute question.

"Nope," she replied confidently with a twinkle in her eye.

Amy paused a moment before throwing a conceding look at her.

"Well, most of the time."

The girls giggled at that.

Amy further added, "They weren't all bad. Some were actually quite similar to people, if you can believe it. It's something I just got used to over time."

"What is the coolest thing you have ever seen?" Beth asked.

"The coolest? Hmm, well… I'm going to have to go with what I saw on my first adventure away from earth. A star whale."

"Wait…what?"

Amy chuckled. "A whale that lives and travels through outer space," she explained.

Beth still looked puzzled.

Amy giggled again, "Sorry, that doesn't help much."

Beth smiled in return. "So how did you end up seeing the star whale?"

"Me and my friend, we traveled to the future..."

Just then, Daryl walked by and interrupted her story with a scoff and a subtle shake of the head.

"You're just jealous!" Amy retorted.

The girls shared a wild grin, unseen by Daryl.

"Very," Daryl replied dryly without turning around or altering his stride.

They broke down into uncontrollable giggles once he disappeared. It took several minutes for the girls to recover from their fit.

"What happened when you went to the future?" Beth asked breathlessly.

"My friend saw a little girl crying, and he can't resist helping crying children. So we stopped by to see what was wrong. It's kinda a long and complicated story, but everyone had to leave earth and live in space. Their spaceship was settled on the back of this star whale. Eventually, I figured out that the people were inadvertently torturing the whale to control it. The whale was actually a very kind creature and once they stopped hurting it, their problems were solved." Amy finished with a smile.

"So in the future there are lots of star whales in the universe?" Beth asked excitedly.

Amy sobered a little. "No. This star whale was very old and the very last of its kind."

_Just like the Doctor,_ she wanted to add. She remembered thinking that very same thing when it had all first happened. In that moment on the spaceship, she began to truly understand the Doctor for the first time.

"Why were people living in outer space?"

Beth's question snapped Amy to attention. She shook her head along with her thoughts of the Doctor away.

"Uhh… I think my friend said why, but I didn't hear him. This was really far in the future."

"Did you go to the future again, but only closer in time to now?"

"No…" Amy answered, unsure of Beth's reason for shifting the conversation.

"Do you think they left to escape the walkers?" Beth whispered shakily.

Amy felt like she had just fallen hard on the ground and had gotten the wind knocked out of her. It happened again, that harsh wake up call. She had let her previous memories sweep her away and consequently forget about the Doctor's absence. Instead, she remained stuck on an Earth overrun with walkers. She was now just like Beth. Someone who only thought, only wished, to live somewhere, anywhere else.

A pit of dread settled in her stomach as she picked at her nail polish. She had no words to answer Beth with. Up to this point, she had not thought of the future or more importantly, it's implications on the present.

_Had he known all this time? No, that's not possible. Surely he would have mentioned that Earth had fallen victim to this. Yeah, I haven't been to the future a lot, but he has. And he knows so much about everything. How could this just go silent? Then again, this shouldn't be an issue in the first place. He has saved Earth so many times before from far more complicated matters. _

Beth, once again, broke Amy from her now frantic thoughts.

"But this is good right? Someday everyone will be free from the walkers," Beth encouraged, but she frowned slightly.

Amy reacted quickly by brightening her tone and appearance as best she could. She was not going to plague Beth with ideas she herself failed to understand.

"Yeah," Amy said, attempting to sound convincing. However, her voice had cracked a bit despite her efforts. Amy smiled at Beth trying to cover for that.

An uneasy silence reigned for several minutes until Beth spoke again.

"Well I better go see if my dad needs anything before bed."

She rose to her feet, but paused before turning away.

"I really like your stories and would love to hear more someday if you don't mind," she said timidly.

"Of course not." Amy beamed. "I'm glad you like them."

Beth smiled shyly back.

"Just don't go telling them to that grumpy Daryl." Amy winked at her.

Beth laughed quietly, but she could not hide the grin on her face.

"Goodnight," Beth said still laughing.

"Goodnight," Amy replied.

While Amy had enjoyed revealing her happier memories to Beth, the unease in her mind returned. A weight burdened her shoulders once again. It helped, remembering her time with him. But she continued to dwell on those memories to a fault in that she was not fully present in her new surroundings. Even worse, Beth had questioned the future before Amy did. Why had the Doctor not told her?

At that moment she only had one thought.

_Rule number one: The Doctor lies._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_Thank you everyone for reading and following this story and to M for editing this chapter!_

* * *

When the number of days Amy waited grew, bitterness and grief gradually dominated her waking thoughts. She missed the Doctor terribly. However, she recognized that he could easily show up and take her from this damaged world, freeing her from having to experience its horrors. They could leave, just as they had left every other world, without a single backwards glance. Free to carry on their lives without worry. As the days passed, Amy struggled to not grow increasingly angry with him.

The truth, she was terrified. She had looked to the Doctor to comfort her fears for so long. Enough time had passed for her shock-induced daze to wear off and for fear to take its place. She did not trust anyone around her and no one could comfort her like the Doctor did. Her resolve for his return was also beginning to crack. Was she fooling herself about him?

During her time traveling with the Doctor, Amy believed she had seen enough to not be terribly phased by strange occurrences. As the days passed, that resolve of hers slowly dissipated. When she looked past that fence to those drifting bodies, she doubted that she actually held any courage. In a way, she almost felt dead inside, just like those things drifting by the fences.

She could not precisely explain what drove her to the main fenced-in lane, but it was probably due to some bizarre mixture of hurt, fear, and denial. Heedlessly, she found herself standing in front of its open gate. That particular gate usually remained locked and closed, but given her level of distress, she did not stop to ponder its reason.

As she entered the lane, she saw several walkers amble aimlessly beyond the fence. The crunching gravel beneath her feet alerted them to her presence. Their heads snapped up in attention, and they scurried toward her while making sickening growls. One look at their decaying faces made her inhale sharply and quickly avert her eyes. However, she still noticed the relative speed with which they mobbed the fence and this only caused her heart to pound even faster. As more congregated, panic set in and she staggered backward to the fence behind her. Thankfully no walkers possessed the inner field; otherwise she would have felt quite claustrophobic.

Eventually, she mustered up the courage to take a good look at them, a really good one. She took in their scraggly hair, their rotting skin, their bony fingers clawing at the chain link fence, and the way their dirty teeth chomped at empty air. The way they stared at her with dull, yellowed eyes especially unnerved her. All together, it was downright sickening.

_I've seen a lot of nasty aliens, but this…_

And worse, there was a foul stench to them. The smell of death. Amy had to suppress a gag. Clutching the fence behind her, she took a shaky breath in, hoping to rid the urge.

_Come on. If you can handle all those aliens over the years, you can handle this too._

She closed her eyes, concentrating on taking slower, deeper breaths. Once she opened her eyes, she threw a determined glare at the walkers. Moving toward the fence, she took care to remain out of reach of their fingers. She wanted to remain calm, but a crippling fear began to take hold. Her entire body felt rooted to the spot. Only her shallow breaths and the rapid blinking of her eyes would have distinguished her from a statue as she remained fixated on them.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain crossbow wielding man was approaching her from down the lane.

So focused on the scene before her, the sound of gravel crunching right beside Amy nearly caused her to jump out of her skin. Once she recovered, she shot a fiery glare at Daryl. Unblinking, he returned the stare.

"Sorry," he finally said.

Not for one second did she believe he meant it. Amy turned her attention back to the growling walkers and quickly replaced her look of fear with that of confidence, not wanting Daryl, or anyone in the group for that matter, to see her as weak. She also could not lose sight of the task at hand.

Without breaking her stare at the walkers, Amy asked, "Will you help me?"

He looked up from the ground and at her questioningly.

After no reply, Amy clarified, "I want to learn to take them out."

Daryl retrieved a knife from his belt and flipped it open with a quick snap of the wrist; all the while he maintained his cold stare at her. He walked to the fence and cleanly stabbed the nearest walker in the forehead.

"You have ta get 'em in the brain. They won't stop otherwise," he said.

He stabbed one more before handing the bloodied knife over to her.

She took another breath to steady herself, while glancing at Daryl from the corner of her eye.

Directly in front of her a walker had its face pressed against the chain links in an attempt to reach her. Raising her hand, she hesitated a few seconds before she sunk the knife into the walker's brain. Despite all her past experience of fighting aliens, or rather, mostly running from then, the brutality of it all left her feeling sick.

Taking another deep, but guarded breath, she took out two more walkers. It was a bit awkward trying to hit them with enough force through the chain links, but she managed. One quick glance over at Daryl revealed a small nod of approval from him.

She breathed a sigh of relief at her small accomplishment.

_It's a start,_ she thought.

But the moment was short lived. Daryl outstretched his hand, wanting the knife back. He looked over at her warily.

Her heart sunk a bit. _He really doesn't trust me._

She handed the knife over, but holding out some hope that she might be wrong, she asked, "Do you have an extra knife I could use?"

He only scoffed in reply, sending that hope to the ground with the walkers.

However, she would not give up that easily, so she pressed him further.

"Will you teach me to shoot?" she asked with an edge in her voice.

In a biting tone, Daryl replied, "You wish."

Amy glared back at him.

"Never mind," she grumbled at him before stomping off back to the prison.

She knew she had taken an important step, but she would have to continue to work hard to gain everyone's trust.

On her way back, the color blue caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw a walker drifting by the forest edge in a faded blue full length gown. She had long, dirty blonde hair, and appeared to be in her mid twenties. Amy wondered who she used to be and what she used to do. Amy imagined the woman attending a special event in her dress that matched the color of the TARDIS.

_She must have been beautiful,_ Amy thought sadly.

Instead, rotten flesh and a sun-bleached dress covered up all remaining traces of that past life of hers.

Besides the trust issues, something else bothered Amy. She could not shake the feeling of having destroyed those walkers. Inside, she felt in a word, empty. Despondently, she stumbled down the path and eventually to her cell, while the girl in the blue dress weighed heavily on her mind. So lost in her thoughts she barely remembered the journey and soon fell asleep on her bed.

* * *

Once she woke up, a gnawing hunger gradually grew more prominent. Still dazed, she saw Maggie stop outside her cell. A look of concern crossed Maggie's face as she entered the cell, her eyes fixed on Amy. She noticed Maggie's stare and finally realized she was looking at her hands. Confused she looked down too and could not quite place where the speckles of dried blood came from.

_Oh right. Daryl's lesson,_ she remembered.

"What happened?" Maggie asked with concern while Amy rubbed the blood off.

"I killed a few walkers through the fence."

Maggie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, her brow knitted in confusion.

"I figured I better learn more about them and then Daryl was there. So I asked for help," Amy assured her.

Deep in thought, Amy paused a moment before she spoke again, "Can I ask you something?"

As an image of the woman wearing the gown flashed through Amy's mind, Maggie took a seat beside her on the bed.

"I just… it doesn't feel right killing off those walkers. I mean, they were once people just like us. It's silly, I know. But doesn't it get to you?" Amy asked.

"It was weird at first. But when your survival along with those around you depend on it, well, the feelings go away real quick," Maggie said. "At first my dad actually kept the walkers in a barn thinking the same thing. My mom, neighbors... everyone was in there. We all hoped that someday they would come back to us. Once we met Rick, though, everything changed, and we learned otherwise. So no, don't feel bad about it."

Amy sighed.

"Don't worry, it'll get easier," Maggie comforted.

Amy looked from her to the floor. Inside, she knew the truth. After having faced aliens and monsters for so long, another monster was not going to change much for her.

When Amy remained silent, Maggie said, "Well, I came by actually to thank you for all you've done for my dad. You have been a great help."

"You're welcome," Amy simply replied, still looking at the floor.

"Why don't you come down and help me get some dinner together when you're ready."

Maggie gave her a quick hug before she left and Amy returned it, but Amy remained lost in her thoughts.

Left alone, Amy sighed in frustration. She just wanted to get her act together. Was that too much to ask for at the end of the world? After a few minutes, Amy decided she best not sulk any longer and get to work.

She first checked in on Hershel to see if he needed anything before dinner. She found Carol already there and preparing to change Hershel's bandage.

Amy had made a point since she arrived to help Hershel out in any way she could and had since learned more medical knowledge from both Carol and Hershel. She appreciated Hershel's acceptance of her while the others struggled to connect with her.

Amy wordlessly opened the packets and laid them before Carol. While Carol worked away the layers of the bandage, she occasionally glanced over at Amy, as if trying to determine the reason for her unusual silence. Through this daily routine, the three had come to know each other better. As his pain lessened over the days, an easy banter between them filled the time.

Finished changing the bandage, Carol informed Hershel that dinner would soon be ready, and then she motioned for Amy to follow. Once the two of them had reached their supply of food, Amy let loose before Carol could even question her.

"I don't know how I can possibly be ready to fight someday," Amy lamented.

"None of this feels real," she continued. "I mean, I think back to my home in England and to know that it's completely in ruins... That's devastating. How can all of that, all of this, just be gone?" Amy said as she gestured all around her. "So many people died, everything ended, while I was just parading around the universe with the..."

Amy stopped short when she saw the dismissive look on Carol's face.

Amy really wanted to smack herself right then and there, but refrained from doing so. Instead she tried to cover it up. "I mean when I was away…" she lamely replied.

"Can I give you some advice?" Carol asked.

Amy nodded, weariness apparent in her eyes.

"I can tell you right now that you will not be ready. None of us were. We didn't expect any of this. But when the time comes, you will be just fine."

"Okay," Amy sighed. "Thanks."

"Come here," Carol said while inviting to give Amy a hug.

Amy accepted her hug, already feeling a tad better.

"You're going to get through this. If I can do it, so can you," Carol said into her ear.

Amy nodded and hugged her tighter.

But she felt a palpable dread knowing she would have to eventually face the walkers for real, and at that time, no fence would stand between her and them. She struggled to imagine such a thing, because she felt quite safe within the prison confines. She had yet to have any significant contact with them. She hoped she never would.

* * *

Preparing dinner with Maggie and Carol did not take long given their meager portions came from a can. Amy then retrieved Hershel's chair and set it up right in front of his cell. She entered his cell and helped him on up to his crutches and toward his chair. Ever since Hershel had regained consciousness, the group always gathered for dinner around his door so he would not feel isolated.

While handing out the meals, Amy felt bad for Lori, just as she had every day before. Amy personally knew the hungriness that accompanied pregnancy and they all were subject to the small portions. Amy had gotten in the habit of transferring some of her own food to Lori's plate without her knowing. While all the women did work together for most of the day, Amy didn't have any significant connection with Lori. To Amy, Lori seemed as though she had other burdens on her mind besides being pregnant at such a trying time, but Amy did not know what. Amy still struggled to remember everyone's names, let alone know anything specific about each member of the group.

Amy felt for her though, since she had a child on the way. Amy, however, had kept that personal experience to herself given how poorly her stories were received. Trying to explain that her daughter was significantly older than her and yet she and Rory had unknowingly raised her while they themselves grew up seemed a tad too difficult to explain. Not to mention that frightful day at Demon's Run when Melody had been taken from her.

While eating, Amy glanced at the people around her. She noticed Daryl sitting next to Carol. He listened to her gentle voice as she told some story. He looked peaceful, content even.

_Ha, he's not so grumpy after all,_ Amy mused.

Daryl finished his meal quickly and scooted behind Carol to massage her shoulders. The woman worked so hard all the time, and she definitely deserved a good massage. Carol laughed softly at him while he worked the stiffness out of her muscles.

Silence fell over the group as they finished their meal. Each enjoyed the rare stillness and peace around them.

Amy looked to the other side of her and saw Glenn and Maggie sitting together. No one ever officially told her that they were together, but no one needed to. If one could define young love, the perfect example sat before her. Every time she saw them tighter, her heart always felt a bit lighter. Seeing dainty Carol with the rough Daryl especially brought a crooked smile to her face.

Why then, did she grip her spoon more tightly?

She glanced to the other side again, Daryl still massaged Carol's shoulders and Carol looked completely content.

She remembered the feel of strong hands on her shoulders too, the feel of two arms firmly around her. And it was driving her crazy.

Her own hands grew restless and she began drumming her fingers against the plate she held. Sporadically glancing between the two couples, she only grew more agitated.

Hershel broke the quiet first. "You know what would taste good right now? A fresh cucumber."

Lori looked across at him with a smile. "Hmm. That sounds great."

"Just because I've been laid up with my leg doesn't mean I have forgotten what I said that first night here. I would like to see the garden happen."

Amy's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"We'll break ground tomorrow," T-Dog announced.

The others hummed in agreement.

_Oh… Garden, as in a place for food. That's a new one. Americans… _Amy thought.

"I expect you to have that garden all done by the time I'm walking again," he joked with a twinkle in his eye.

"We will," Beth replied smiling.

When the others struck up several conversations amongst themselves, Amy felt an overwhelming need for some space. Rising to her feet, she retreated to the large side cell with the metal tables. As she rinsed off her dish and spoon, her hands shook slightly. Clenching her fists, she mentally berated herself for her lack of emotional control.

She exited the cell and stepped out into the comfortable evening. Beautiful colors lit up the west as the sun began to sink, but she could care less. She only saw red as she stomped right up to the fence and beat her palms once against the chain links. Still stewing, she lifted her fists once again, about to ram them into the fence, when she saw someone looking over at her.

Rick stood the same fence, about fifty feet away, and he stared quizzically at her. Amy's eyes darted away from his and to the forest beyond the fence. Embarrassed that he, of all people, just saw her throw a fit, she forced her clenched fists back to her sides. After a minute, she dared to glance at him, finding him just staring blankly into the woods.

"You wanna talk about it," he called over, not breaking his stare at the woods.

"Nope," Amy replied in a chipped voice. She turned on her heel and marched back inside.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, T-Dog gathered what tools, or rather tool-like objects, he could find to break up the sod for their future garden. He handed out something to nearly everyone in the group. Lori stayed behind for obvious reasons and Rick was already gone. Amy did not know what he was up to half the time but already she had come to feel safe with the group. Whatever he did, it was good enough for Amy.

While the group walked outside, T-Dog suggested planting the garden near the fence that ran along the creek. There always was the possibility of digging that canal under the fence someday to make watering the plants that much easier. Once there, the group decided it best to dig up several section of sod instead of just one giant area to make gathering food faster. With so many pairs of hands working, Amy was surprised at the relative speed of which they finished the project with their makeshift tools.

Once they finished the back-breaking manual labor, the men left to start their usual routines. They picked up a few tools and Daryl retrieved his crossbow from the grass. As they walked off, Amy noticed Carol watching Daryl which only confirmed her suspicions from the previous evening.

When Carol's attention finally came back to the garden, Amy sought out her gaze.

"So… I didn't know about you and Mr. Grumpy," Amy said, a playful smirk at her lips.

"What?" Carol asked laughing.

Amy turned and looked at Daryl adjusting the crossbow over his back as he trailed the other men. She then looked back to Carol with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh! Daryl," Carol chuckled before continuing, "We're not really… I mean, I don't..."

"Uh huh, sure," Amy teased.

Carol blushed slightly.

"I see how it is," Amy continued in mock seriousness.

Carol gently swatted Amy's arm while passing by.

Carol walked a few steps away only to turn around and shake her head at Amy, pretending to be mad. Amy giggled in response.

The women stayed behind to ponder the layout details and discuss what vegetables they would like to grow. Seeing as it was unlikely a state prison had a home and garden section in it, a supply run would be needed. Maggie volunteered herself and an unsuspecting Glenn to pick up the seeds and some other supplies while they were at it. Maggie told the women how she had remembered passing a garden store on their last supply run.

After discussing these details, Amy decided to stay behind to rest for a bit before heading up to start her other chores. Beth also hung back, and since she stayed, naturally, Carl also stuck around. Amy thought it was cute how Carl had taken a liking to Beth and she could tell that Beth liked Carl too. It was sweet, after all. While much of their old lives had ended, a young, innocent crush kindly reminded them that not everything from before had ended too. The walkers had brought down modern civilization but they could never touch that one key human element: love.

So there they were, all three of them overlooking four brown squares in a field of green. The soft swishing of water in the creek filled the air around them. Amy enjoyed the rest from work and waited for Beth's questions to start. She knew that if Beth had an opportunity to talk to her about her previous life, Beth would take it. Amy did not mind though; in fact, she found it endearing.

"What was his name? The guy with the time machine?" Beth asked.

"The Doctor. He goes by the Doctor." Amy replied with a twinge of sadness.

"He doesn't have a real name?" Carl asked.

Amy chuckled at that. "No, he does. But it's a secret as old as time. One only known by him."

"How can a person have a time machine?" Carl asked.

"'Cause he's not a person," Amy replied mischievously while wagging her eyebrows.

Beth and Carl thought this over a bit. Then Beth's face lighted up with realization.

"He's an alien."

"Exactly," Amy said, smiling.

"What planet is he from?" Beth asked this time.

"Gallifrey,"

"What's his species called?"

"Time Lords,"

"That's all they do, travel though time?"

Amy sighed at that. "Used to," she said and then explained what she knew of the Time Lords and what happened to their planet.

"Wow, that's so sad," Beth said with a pained look.

"Yeah, I don't know how he keeps going," Amy said.

"Doesn't he get lonely being the only one left?" Beth inquired empathetically.

"He sure does, that's why he likes to travel with someone."

"And that was you?" Beth asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Amy sighed again.

Beth leaned over to give Amy a hug.

"Thanks sweetie," Amy said into her hair.

Even though it pained her to think and talk about the Doctor she wanted to finish what she was saying. She wanted to tell his story.

Amy released her hold on Beth to continue talking.

"He is so very old that a young set of eyes makes the journey more enjoyable and helps him feel younger. He has seen so much of time and space that the joy of it all sometimes eludes him."

At this point she was just rambling, stuck half way between wanting to talk her hurt out and just keeping it in. The talking won out.

"The last time I saw him he was nearly one thousand years old. Who knows how old he is now."

She paused, deep in thought. "I don't know how to explain that better."

"He experiences time differently," Beth stated matter-of-factly.

Amy shot her a slightly surprised look. Given Beth's age she did not expect her to fully grasp the concept of time travel because she herself fell victim once in a while to the timey-whimey nature of it all.

Carl had been listening patiently, even appearing interested at times, but Amy could tell that this recent turn in conversation had finally proven too much for him. The look of puzzlement was all too clear on his face, and Amy found it rather amusing. She turned her attention back to Beth.

"I like science fiction," Beth offered as an explanation. Then she giggled. "Science-fact," she corrected.

Amy smiled back, "Right."

Carl had finally had enough of their rambling and wandered away.

Even though Carl was out of earshot, Beth whispered, "Hey."

Amy looked to her.

"Have you thought about the future at all?" Beth asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm still at a loss, I really don't know what to think." Amy replied sadly.

Amy thought for a moment before speaking again. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" she asked.

Beth shook her head.

"Good. You okay with keeping this just between me and you?"

"Yeah," Beth replied.

* * *

That evening Maggie and Glenn returned safely from their supply run with many packets of different seeds. Beth eagerly snatched them from Maggie and immediately set off to find Amy. Together, the two examined all the packets and planned the layout of the garden.

The next morning, Amy and Beth gathered a few gardening-like tools and the packets of seeds. Lori decided to spend some time in the sun and talk with the others while they worked. Amy walked along an exited Beth to the garden, while Carol walked behind with Lori, carrying a folding chair for her.

Once Carol had Lori settled, she joined Amy and Beth in planting seeds. All three worked in silence and Lori sat quietly, enjoying the beautiful day. Lori did not remain quiet for long though. A quiet sob sounded behind the women. Concerned, Amy and Carol looked up and at each other before turning around.

They saw Lori's face drenched in tears. She looked away from them and fanned her face briefly.

"What is it?" Carol asked softly.

"He doesn't care, he doesn't care at all," Lori said while becoming more and more choked up.

"Yeah he does," Carol comforted her.

"Come on, you see how he treats me." Lori continuously dabbed at the corner of her eyes.

Carol sighed and walked over to Lori.

Amy, meanwhile, sat there feeling quite confused. She pretended to be engrossed in planting the seeds, only occasionally glancing up at the two other women. In reality, she listened to every word closely. Amy looked over to Beth for some silent explanation, but Beth just shook her head at her. Amy wanted to know who they were talking about.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment.

Lori cleared her throat and blew her nose. "I'm sorry, Carol," she breathed, her eyes all red and puffy.

Carol bent over slightly and draped an arm around her shoulders. "You've got nothing to be sorry about," she said firmly while looking her in the eyes.

Lori took a shuddering breath and then looked over to the garden. The two remained silent for several minutes as Lori sniffed multiple times.

"I'm really looking forward to eating something that doesn't come from a can," Lori eventually said, half-smiling.

"Me too!" Beth blurted out enthusiastically.

Lori and Carol amicably laughed at her. Beth blushed lightly and dropped her gaze to the dirt while Amy looked over at her and giggled.

Previously, Amy only concerned herself with her own well being and her hope of the Doctor's return. She had not given up in her hope of his eventual arrival, in fact, it had strengthened. The more time that passed, the more likely she figured he would show up soon. What had changed was Amy's resolve to keep the group at arm's length. Being so fixated on her hurt at being left behind, it was not like her to be so distant. She was lucky to have found a good group of people and she knew it.

* * *

As Amy gradually adjusted to her surroundings and the people around her, the shock and numbness she felt also bowed away. With that out of the way, she began to miss a certain someone, and miss him terribly she did. Ever since Demon's Run, she had not been separated from him for any significant length of time. She could not say how badly she just wanted to kiss his stupid, idiotic face.

_"Oi stupid face."_

_"Uh, hello…" Rory replied timidly while appearing from behind the corner with the recorder chip clamped firmly in one hand. Earlier, Amy had confided in the Doctor that she was mistaken about her pregnancy.  
_

_"Amy, why tell me and not Rory?" the Doctor asked._

_"Why do you think?" she replied._

_Amy went on to say that she worried for Rory and that she did not want to tell him that his baby may have been adversely affected by all the time traveling. As Rory listened in on the Doctor and her, she covered up for the transgression later with a joke and a hug. Her mistake did not bother Rory. Given his perfect nature, he easily forgave her as usual. _

Oh Rory. She did not want to think about him. She tried not to. But the memory came out of nowhere and hit her hard. And she could not help but feel guilty. She would always miss her Rory. The Doctor never could replace Rory and they both knew it. But even back then, during those happier times married to Rory, she felt closer to the Doctor in some ways.

* * *

Amy thought she had her feelings under control the previous night's dinner only to be proved wrong once again. Everything came crashing back, and she felt so much pain in her heart when she thought about how alone she really was. Later that day while hanging up the laundry, Amy caught a glance of Maggie and Glenn through the flapping sheets and clothes. The two had braved the heat to take a stroll inside the yard, hand in hand. Once in a while, Maggie would throw her head back, laughing at something Glenn must have said. She had a huge smile that was difficult to miss while Glenn responded with his shy, partially hidden smile.

"They are so cute together," Carol said while looking at the two.

"They are," Amy sighed.

_At least somebody's in love._

Her mind drifted back in time to one of her adventures on an alien planet.

* * *

"I've never understood that," the planet's head female ambassador said with a smirk.

"Huh?" Amy asked, while snapping to attention.

She chuckled at Amy's state. "Love. That's what you call it, right?"

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"Oh, come off it. You've only been staring at him for the past five minutes."

"I don't know what you mean," Amy replied in feigned ignorance.

"Uh huh, well you're lucky to have him. He seems pretty perfect to me," she said with a wink before walking away.

Amy chuckled to herself and glanced back to where he stood only to not see him. She turned and looked all around her, but she still could not spot him. Checking the TARDIS was her next best option, and sure enough he stood at the console with his back toward her. A monitor held his full attention.

"Been looking all around for you," Amy said playfully. Her heart felt like it could burst, she just loved him so much. She would be nothing without him. Absolutely nothing.

He turned to face her, smiling wryly past his unruly hair. Her Doctor.

* * *

After the draining mission of saving that far away planet's native population from an invasion by their long-time nemesis, the Doctor felt a peaceful day with no mysteries to solve was just what he and Amy needed.

The Doctor took her to a planet she had never seen before. The atmosphere above them had a very unique quality. Instead of remaining the color of blue like Earth's, streaks of different bright colors would break it up. It changed gradually and the colors would fade away just as slowly as they appeared. It was rather calming watching the scene above, just as one would feel after observing a hanging mobile for some time. Some of the clouds had sharp geometric shapes too, further adding to the sky above. Back on the ground, many bright and exotic flowering trees stood. Otherwise this world was very similar to Earth.

They set a picnic in the middle of a vast prairie. Beyond them sat a vivid lake and stunning mountains in the background. After a refreshing lunch, the two lay side by side on the blanket watching the clouds and colors pass by overhead.

While the two had always been very close friends, they both realized that something had been drawing them even closer, especially after that fateful day a couple of years prior. Thinking about the previous day and how dangerous it had been, Amy greatly appreciated the peaceful moment between them. She was so content by the fact that both of them had escaped the previous day without injury and as a result they could enjoy this moment together. She reached for his hand closest to her and laced her fingers through his. The Doctor rolled over and up onto on elbow to place a sweet kiss on her forehead. She hummed appreciatively and snuggled closer to him. Still holding hands, the two continued gazing at the sky. No words were needed between them.

* * *

Amy resumed hanging up the rest of the laundry, before excusing herself to Carol. Once in her cell, she reached beneath her pillow to retrieve the TARDIS key.

She just wanted to be near the Doctor. If she saw him she would surely slap him only to grip in a tight hug and tell him to never leave again.

She looked at the key lovingly while rubbing her thumb over the jagged edge. Her vision soon blurred, however, and her face crumpled into a sob. Taking a ragged breath in, she tried to no avail to temper the tears that began to fall. She intended to lie down and succumb to her thoughts, but she saw something move beyond her tear-laden eyelashes. There stood Daryl, who looked uncomfortable. He avoided her gaze, but she saw something else that actually surprised her. It was brief, but she thought she saw a shadow of sadness on his face. Or maybe pity?

Before she could approach him, his face went cold and he slinked away from the doorway. Amy quickly reached the doorway but hesitated there, watching him hop down the stairs and exit outside.

"_I wasn't sure who you were talking about, you know, me or…" _

Rory's words repeated over and over again in her mind. She wished it would stop.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thank you very much to everyone for reading, following, and leaving reviews. You guys are so great!_

_I'd also like to thank Guest for leaving me a review last chapter and to answer your question, you will find out what happened to Rory very soon. _

_Which brings me to my next point. As you read in this chapter there were a few flashbacks about Amy and the Doctor, and in the following chapters there will be more DW flashbacks describing the events between where I diverge from cannon (roughly S6 E8) and the beginning of this story. _

_Lastly, I wanted to let you all know that I do plan on making this story fairly long. I think this could easily end up being at least 100k words long. Haha, I'm in it for the long haul!**  
**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **_Thank you everyone for reading, following, and reviewing as always! I'd also like to thank my lovely friend, M, for editing this chapter._

* * *

Thud.

Amy's eyes shot up from the piece of clothing she was mending.

Thud.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to distinguish the source of the noise.

Thud.

A shiver of fear cursed through her body and her heart rate quickened as she sat against the cell block wall. Laying the clothing aside, she rose to her feet. She walked through the large cell that held her captive a few weeks ago to the locked gate at the back. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she peered beyond looking for the source of the noise.

"What's goin' on?"

Amy turned around to find a concerned Daryl. Rick was not far behind him.

"Don't know," she replied.

Rick chose a key from a ring of many others and opened the door while Daryl readied his crossbow.

"I'm coming," Amy announced.

"Like hell you are," Daryl growled back at her.

"No one else is around and you need another person," Amy answered evenly.

Rick looked back at Daryl, "It's okay, she's right."

Daryl looked to Rick and his face softened slightly.

Daryl retrieved a knife from his belt. "Then you'll need this," he said to Amy simply while handing it over.

The three passed through the door way. After Rick locked the door behind them he looked up to Amy. "Watch our backs."

Amy nodded back at him. She had never entered the back part of the prison before. It felt like stepping into a great unknown. A darkness unexplored. She felt very uneasy as the shadows swallowed them. It almost felt like wandering around inside a pyramid.

_Must be while they call them the tombs,_ Amy thought grimly.

Everything was bathed in a faint grayish light. A thick layer of debris and dirt covered the floor. Stray light from a torch illuminated a florescent white arrow pointing in the direction they came from. The direction Amy wanted to head back toward. She had instantly made her decision to come along given her desperation to be taken seriously by them all, but that boldness of hers left as quickly as it came.

A drop of water smacked her in the middle of her head and her attention snapped up. Water dripped from a broken rusty pipe poking through the ceiling. As Amy gazed down the hall she saw more unsteady steams of water falling from above.

Carelessly looking at the stained ceiling and not at her feet, Amy tripped over something. When she looked down and saw a walker corpse clad in a navy jumpsuit with its abdomen eaten out, she drew in a harsh breath. She looked up to find Rick watching and waiting for her to catch up. Amy hurried to join him while dodging the bodies.

The further they walked along the hallways, the darker it got. She figured they must be traveling to the heart of the prison. A place devoid of windows, and consequently, light. If darkness could manifest into a physical form, it had an iron grip around her throat. Passing along, she saw walkers lying in cells with open doors.

Amy felt better bringing up the rear. To lead would be a completely terrifying experience. She felt scared enough as it was, but to be the first to peer around a dark corner and see what lay ahead would have done her in. Daryl, however, appeared to manage this with ease. He quickly rounded each corner and with both his crossbow and torch, he scanned the entire passage for danger.

To Amy, it looked as though he was made for this type of thing.

_Maybe he was a police officer before. Or military. He sure looks strong enough to be one or the other… _

_Stop it! You are supposed to be paying attention! _ She chastised herself for letting her concentration slip so easily.

There she was wandering around in some dark maze of hallways, risking death by walker bite or scratch, and instead she concerned herself with that mysterious Daryl. Even worse, she admired his physique in what little light allowed it.

She reprimanded herself.

_Daryl is Carol's._

_It never hurts to look though, _Amy thought to herself after a smirked in the dark.

All along, the mysterious banging became louder as Daryl attempted to choose a path that led to its source. Seeing all the fallen bodies, the noise of Amy's pounding heart seemed to match the intensity of the noise they followed. Rick stayed close to Daryl's side, his pistol raised and ready. Both men held a stone-cold look of concentration, primed to take action if need be.

Upon rounding an even darker corner, Daryl startled slightly when he came face to face with a walker. Amy, having to concentrate to follow their dark silhouettes almost ran into him. When she saw the walker, she jumped worse than Daryl and had to suppress the urge to scream. Daryl had long sent an arrow into the walker's forehead, but no sense of relief washed over the trio because more walkers staggered along the grungy hallway behind the fallen one.

Rick and Daryl quickly wielded around once they saw the number was too great for them to overcome. Amy mirrored their actions and ran toward an unexplored hallway. The light from the torches bounced all over the walls and floor making it difficult for Amy to see. Several times she tripped over the stray limbs of dead walkers. While running, they occasionally looked over their shoulders to make sure the herd wasn't gaining too much ground. Amy looked past the men, swearing the herd's size grew. Naturally, she responded by running faster, even around the next ominous corner.

Beyond the corner lurked yet another walker and Amy ran into it. This time Amy did scream, her rising level of panic getting the better of her. She felt immobilized with fear, as if she were wearing a straight jacket. Daryl wrapped one hand around her middle and yanked her out of reach as Rick shot the ugly walker point-blank.

Like before, many more walkers crowded the hallway forcing the group to retreat yet once again and run down a third hallway. Knowing how many walkers were behind them and not knowing how many may be ahead, Rick chose the first door he found, yanked it open, and scanned the room. Daryl watched the herd of walkers close in on them and fired off a couple of arrows, protecting Rick's back as Rick checked out the room. Amy stood there trembling while she watched the other end of the hallway.

Rick whispered harshly at them, "In here!"

Amy followed Rick in immediately and Daryl brought up the rear, but a couple of walkers pressed in on the door making it difficult for Daryl to close it. His feet slid as he struggled to press all of his body weight into the door. The walkers momentarily pushed the door in enough that one stuck its hand through the opening. Rick dropped his torch and rushed forward immediately. The torch landed pointing away from the men and consequently Amy could not see them well. She heard Rick slam his body into the door and a sickening snapping noise right after. Amy ran to snatch the torch and point it at the men as they still struggled with the door. Once fully shut, Rick fumbled to successfully lock the door. The men relaxed a bit once they felt the door holding against the lock. Amy then noticed the severed walker hand on the ground and felt nauseous.

She attempted to take in her surroundings with what little light the torch provided. She found they were trapped in a small storage room and had a feeling that they would have to wait a long while before the walkers cleared out. The full magnitude of the chase and her close encounter with the walker finally sunk in. Her breathing came harsh and loud and the strength in her body seemed to evaporate at once. A metal object clanged against the concrete beside her feet, sending a shock to her already shattered senses. Pointing the torch toward her feet, Amy saw her knife lying on the ground. Her fingers had grown so numb from gripping the knife she had forgotten about it.

"How?... How can you stay so calm?…" she stammered increasingly loudly before a hand clapped over her mouth. The pressure of it drew her backwards to his chest.

"Shut up!" Daryl whispered harshly into her ear.

He stood so close that she could easily feel his breath on her ear. Annoyed, Amy pushed him away, grabbed her knife, and took a seat against the wall.

Amy's pounding heart felt like it could leap out of her chest at any moment, and for a long time it was all she could concentrate on. Once it had settled enough to allow an awareness of her surroundings, she heard the sound of the growling walkers and their shuffling feet beyond the door. Curiously, the other noise ceased.

As time dragged on waiting for the walkers to move away, Amy couldn't think of much else. Wading in a pool of her own shock, her only life preserver was a determination to not let it get the better of her. The time had come for her to pull it together and try to be a useful member of the group. If for nothing else, she needed to watch the same backs that saved her own.

Still hearing the walkers outside, Rick turned off his torch and Amy followed suit to save the batteries. She was filled with dismay at the lack of light.

* * *

The group had to wait nearly an hour before the noise of scraping feet and growling subsided. Rick turned a torch on and stiffly rose to the door to press his ear against it. Taking a step back from the door he looked behind him and signaled Amy and Daryl to be prepared to move. He kicked the walker hand out of the way and opened the door just a crack and peered out. A moment later he pushed the door open. Daryl clicked on his torch before both men drew their weapons and took the lead. With a new determination, Amy readied herself with knife in hand.

Amy stepped into the clear hallway and the group immediately headed forward. Unlike Amy's previous blunder, the men moved with precision through the maze of hallways scanning for walkers but finding none. After passing through an intersection of hallways, the three saw their first walkers since emerging from the small room. Amy's heart leapt into her throat and she felt her legs go weak. This on again off again terror was taking its toll on her. Fear tormented her mind and her body felt so strained, she momentarily felt disconnected from her body. And it only wanted to collapse right there on the spot.

_Come on! Snap out of it!_

A couple more walkers approached from beyond. The men had their full attention on taking out the walkers before them and so did Amy by simply watching them, until she heard a raspy growl from behind. She wielded around and quickly plunged her knife into the forehead of a prison walker. She let out a harsh breath as a multitude of emotions swept through her: fear, anger, pride. She felt she had a razor sharp focus in that moment. It had been a long time since she had felt this alert. This alive, even.

Behind her, Amy heard Daryl and Rick still taking out walkers. Concerned for them, she was about to turn around to see exactly how many they were up against when two more materialized from the darkness in front of her. She stabbed the one closest to her, narrowly escaping its outstretched arms, while the second one had its eyes fixed on Daryl's back. She pushed away the walker in front of her and body slammed the second into the wall just as its bony fingers were mere inches away from ripping into Daryl's shoulder. She reached up to stab the walker in the ear just as Daryl whipped around, crossbow at the ready, sensing the disturbance behind him. Daryl looked at the fallen walker and then gave Amy a curt nod before turning his attention back to Rick.

Amy did not see any more walkers at her end but continued watching, ready for any that should appear. The struggles to her back subsided but Amy was so focused and full of fear and adrenaline that she did notice until Rick tapped her on the shoulder. His touch made her jump, but he motioned her to follow. Finally clear from the immediate threat of walkers, the group could move further into the dark abyss.

The mysterious noise started up again and grew louder and clearer. It sounded like it was just beyond one more corner. Sure enough, they saw the source of the noise upon rounding the corner.

Amy found the sight distressing.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **_Thank you guys so much for reviewing, following, and for all the favorites! :D And a big thanks also to my friend M for editing._

* * *

With one final thud, the group saw a door bust open. A man appeared breathing heavily with a pick-axe in hand. They saw the dented metal of the door from being hit several times. Several heavy objects littered the floor inside the room, and a broken chain swung loosely from the door handle. The surrounding walkers honed in hungrily on the man. Springing to action, the group took out the walkers around him. Once the immediate threat had passed though, he remained extremely agitated. Amy saw his tattered clothing and also figured he hadn't bathed in a long time. His wide eyes darted around frantically.

"I gotta...gotta get out of here," he stammered.

"Whoa, just hang on here a second," Rick replied calmly. "You're alright."

"No, no, no. This place, it's no good. Can't stay, must go. No food. Must go, must go."

More walkers appeared as the guy rambled.

The group immediately set to work once again. Through their combined efforts they kept the area around them fairly safe but the lone man had only one thing on his mind: Getting out. Still in a crazed daze, he began to drift away from the safe zone. His nervous eyes scanned for an exit. Rick noticed this as quickly as one could when fighting walkers.

He raced over to get him back, but a walker closed in on him, and fast.

The walker grabbed the man's arm and bit into his neck. Rick shot the walker point blank but it was obviously too late.

The man began to shout, his eyes still looking for an escape.

Amy was completely horrified and she didn't know what to do. With one hand over her mouth, she restrained herself from making any noise.

Rick had anguish in his eyes. He knew what this meant. They all did. While Amy figured Rick and Daryl had seen this many times before, to Amy, it hit her hard.

Welcome to the new world.

It was definitely the worst thing she had seen since arriving back to earth. She felt completely sick, and the dread in her stomach consumed her.

"Let's get you some place safe," Rick said sadly.

The man however, was far too out of it to register what was happening.

"Must go, must go," he continued to mumble. Amy saw the whites of his eyes as he continued to desperately look past those surrounding him. Rick tried to keep a firm grip on his arm but the man was doing everything in his power to tear free, and break free he eventually succeeded to do. He ran full out down the hallway. Rick took off after him and Daryl and Amy followed suit. The metal door crashed into the wall after being flung open, and light flooded the hallway. The sudden blast of light temporarily blinded Amy. Once her eyes painfully adjusted, she saw the silhouette of Rick framed by the door with his gun raised.

Amy's heart nearly stopped as an icy fear overran her body.

_No!_ she silently screamed.

Outside, a herd of walkers closed in on the door, forcing Rick to stop whatever he was going to do and slam the door shut in their faces.

Amy was in shock at what had just unfolded before her. The group stood there for a minute, each avoiding the others' gazes as they processed what had happened in their own way. As Amy's eyes once again adjusted to the darkness, she remembered a treacherous journey lay before them in returning to their cell block.

Amy remained silent as they began to retrace their steps. While distressed by the situation with the man, the fresh air and the light from the open door had comforted her. Now they were heading back into the black tombs. The stench, which had already been bad when they first entered the hallways, had only grown worse given the slaughtered walkers they had left in their wake. Between the horrific scene she had just witnessed and the intense smell, it took all of Amy's willpower to not run back to that door and fling it open.

The men resumed their trained routine of searching the halls and cutting down any walkers that blocked the way. Amy felt herself grow more tired as the immediate threat had passed. She was glad the men ahead of her were holding up well, because she was more or less blindly following them. She did make an effort to occasionally look behind her, in case they should be followed from behind. Each hallway and each intersection looked the same to her. They had become a blur, another reason she was grateful for Rick and Daryl, otherwise she would have gotten lost a long time ago. She was very thankful that it was not long before she recognized the hallways immediately outside their cell block. The trip back did not feel nearly as long as the one out.

As they neared the gate to their cell block, the hallways began to grow lighter and Amy felt a little better. Once at the gate, Rick retrieved the keys from his belt and Carol and Carl anxiously waited on the other side. Amy looked behind her multiple times checking for any walkers that may have followed. She did not want to be caught surprised this close to safety. Carol covered her mouth with her hand when she saw the traces of blood over all three of them. Deep concern filled her eyes.

"We're all fine," Rick assured her.

Carol only relaxed a little.

Once Rick had the door opened, Amy wasted no time in passing through. All three entered the large side cell and Rick closed the door. Amy could finally breathe easy. She never thought she would be so relieved to be standing in that particular cell.

"What happened, Dad?" Carl asked.

"We all heard a noise in the tombs. Some guy was bustin' out of a room," Rick answered.

"Where is he now?" Carol asked.

"Got bit and ran outside. He was really out of it."

Carol sighed and closed her eyes.

Amy had no interest in sticking around to hear the rest of the conversation. All she could think about was getting the blood off of her and her clothes, but regrettably, she had one more thing to do before leaving.

She approached Daryl without a word, holding the closed knife out to him. Assuming he would take the knife back, anger and resentment welled up inside of her. She would not even look him in the eye.

"Nah, keep it," he said.

Her eyes snapped up to his.

_What?_

"It's about time," Amy quipped with a crooked smile, easily covering up the surprise she felt on the inside. She tucked the knife away in her pants pocket and walked off.

Amy climbed the stairs to her cell with a faint smile on her face.

* * *

Downstairs the group continued to talk. Carol approached Daryl needing to make sure he really was alright. She grabbed a towel out of her pocket and reached up to wipe some of the blood off of his face. He started to squirm immediately.

"Oh, stop it," she chided him, but she could not hide her amused grin.

He only sighed in response and squeezed his eyes shut.

Carol quickly cleaned the rest of his face only for him to glare in return.

"Now that didn't hurt, did it?" she teased.

He scoffed in reply.

"You're welcome," she said in mock seriousness. When he walked away, she laughed quietly.

* * *

Freshened up, Amy descended the stairs.

_What about Rick?_

Amy chased the thought away. After the exhausting events of the day, Amy did want to entertain such complicated thoughts.

_But what about him? _

Exasperated, Amy sighed to herself before entering Hershel's cell. She found him lying in bed reading his Bible. When he saw her enter, he laid it aside and sat up.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Alright," he replied. "The pain is finally starting to lessen."

_You saw what he was about to do. _

Amy smiled back at him. "Can I take those sheets from you?" she asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Amy retrieved his crutches from the side of the bed and helped him to his feet.

_What if the others are just like him?_

"I think I'll be ready to handle the stairs soon. It'll be nice to finally go outside again," he said.

"Yeah, it will," she replied absently, while gathering up the bed sheets.

"You okay?" he questioned.

_What are you doing here?_

"Fine, yeah" she answered with a forced smile.

Hershel did not look convinced with her answer and she knew it. She ducked her head, balled up the sheets in her arms, and made her way to the door.

Amy gathered a few more bed sheets from the other cells before heading toward the door. She saw Rick strolling toward her and looking at her expectantly. When she stopped in front of him, his eyes darted down to his feet.

"Thanks… for today," he finally said.

Amy gave him a guarded smile.

For a split second, she wished he would say more to her. She desperately wanted to be wrong about him, but she kind of also wanted to slink away. All she felt didn't end up mattering because he then walked off without another word.

Amy continued to struggle within her mind regarding his character.

_Yeah, that guy was going to turn, but was that really necessary?_

She felt leery of Rick as she realized she really had not come to know him any better since she first arrived. She didn't know if she should distrust him. What he was about to do was so unlike anything she had experienced while traveling with the Doctor. This new world was a brutal one. It was so much worse than the one she left behind.

Amy remained quieter than usual throughout the rest of the day. Instead of chatting with the others after dinner, she headed straight up to her cell. She lay down in bed, staring absently past the bars. The darkness in both her cell and mind grew more prominent as the minutes passed. She realized that she had waited several weeks for the Doctor's return and to no avail. As the days passed, she realized more and more that she needed to start paying more attention to this world. She was in the middle of a war, and so far had not proven to be an effective soldier. The time had come to stop dreaming and wishing. She knew she needed to wake up and fast, but she remained unsure whether she had the will to do so.

Her thoughts stubbornly drifted back to the Doctor, and she certainly felt angry toward him. Did he know what she was going through? That he had left her on that road, at the mercy of that herd of monsters. Did he leave her there, fully knowing that she could have died right then and there? After everything they went through, would he just do that? And it wasn't just on that road she had faced danger. It was every single moment since then, and there was no telling what would come in the future. Had he really subjected her to an uncertain life filled with terror and death? Those kinds of thoughts plagued her. They repeated over and over: While washing the laundry, while fixing meals, while strolling around the yard, everywhere. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not let them go.

Since her arrival on Earth, that day in the tombs was her second near brush with death. The second time she faced the consequences of this dangerous new Earth first hand. Danger itself was not a new concept to Amy, however. In fact it was a very familiar one. Running with the Doctor had its own very real consequences. One of those consequences had forever seared her heart, and the day's horrors took her painfully back there.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**_ Thank you guys so much for reading, following, and for the favorites! I especially would like to thank those that review, because I really love reading what you guys think. Thank you M for editing. :)_

* * *

Fixing up the wiring beneath the console, the Doctor reached for a stray tool under the stairs when the telephone sang. He jumped up too quickly only to smack his head on the stairs.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"Oh, Doctor," Amy said while giggling. She rose from her seat beside Rory on a couch.

The Doctor fixed her with a stare as she approached him.

"I'll get it," she replied before kissing the presumed location of the bump on his head. She then bounded up the stairs.

Not amused, the Doctor shook his head at Rory before settling in his swing. Rory only shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"Hello," Amy's sing-song voice floated down.

Amused at her antics, both men smiled briefly at each other. Silence held above and below.

"Yeah, we'll be right over," Amy said seriously at last. The phone clicked on its receiver. Rory eyed the Doctor and the Doctor looked up, seeing Amy hurry across the floor.

"We have to go. Now," Amy barked at them while running down the stairs.

Rory rose to his feet and approached her, his eyes filled with concern. He took one of her hands in his own to find a small piece of paper clamped in her fist.

"Where are we going?" the Doctor asked.

Amy held out the paper to him and he took and read the coordinates on it.

"When?" he asked.

"Present time," she replied.

Seeing the grave look on Amy's face, the Doctor did not question her further and ran up the stairs. The pair quickly followed.

Up top, the Doctor whizzed around the console throwing levers and pulling knobs.

Amy filled her boys in on the details, the words spilling from her mouth.

The Doctor finished piloting the TARDIS and turned to face Amy while leaning against the console. He eyed her as she paced around and gestured animatedly. Rory took a seat in a chair by the railing.

A rebel group had called on behalf of their far away planet, which was home to many different alien races. A few members of one particularly intelligent race, the Urphis, currently ruled an oppressive regime over all on the planet. With the help of their scientists, the Urphi rulers recently acquired the ability to harness dark matter and control its massive energy in order to further serve the purposes of the regime. Within the past few months, the leaders already had wiped out several nations. They contained the dark matter in small white spheres that easily fit in a man's palm. The rebels said once the sphere was activated, any living matter within a five meter radius was ripped apart at the atomic level.

Deeply affected by this atrocity, Rory rubbed a hand over his somber face when Amy finished talking. They all processed this information silently, listening only to the hum of the TARDIS engine. Then the TARDIS landed with a thud, which nearly knocked the Doctor and Amy off of their feet and Rory from his chair, but they quickly composed themselves. The Doctor straightened his bow tie and with a determined look in his eyes, he strode toward the TARDIS doors and flung them open. Harsh light spilled into the TARDIS.

The three stepped out to find themselves standing in a valley surrounded by sand dunes.

"The rebels are meeting us here," Amy announced.

The Doctor quickly lost his look of determination to one of glee. "Ooh, sand! My favorite substrate! Perfect for walking in, making sand castles, and this!"

The Doctor scooped up a pile of sand in his hands and then opened his fingers to let the grains trickle through. He grinned over at Amy. She looked at him like he was mad.

"But you know what I really love. Rolling down sand dunes! Haven't done that in 153 years, in fact."

The Doctor spun around, examining all the sand dunes to find one with the perfect height and grade.

"Doctor! Focus, please," Amy called over exasperated.

"Right! Sorry! Where are they?" the Doctor said returning to attention.

"Not sure," Amy sighed.

"Amy," Rory said, tapping her shoulder. Amy turned around to look along with him.

"Here they come," he announced.

Several sand buggies descended a dune and slid to a stop before them, spraying sand in all directions. The Doctor coughed and peered through the kicked up sand cloud.

From the vehicle nearest them, a tall man with short black hair and a beard stepped out and approached them with his hand extended.

"Kerret," he introduced himself while shaking the Doctor's hand. "It's an honor to meet you Doctor."

The Doctor smiled back at him. "So, Kerret. Where are we?"

"Just beyond that dune sits their research center," he answered as he directed their attention to the dune behind them.

"In the middle of the desert?" Amy asked.

"They chose the most inhospitable desert on the planet. Only way to keep everyone away, and most cheaply I might add. We barely made it here ourselves. I lost a lot of good soldiers. If we didn't have intel from the galactic peace organizations we would have never found the place."

The Doctor eyed the rag-tag band of soldiers clad in grey behind Kerret and noted how worn they looked.

"These spheres, do you know how they work?" the Doctor asked.

"No. Just that they are usually thrown at or dropped in the region and then they go off sometime after. Usually the spheres go off immediately but sometimes there is a significant delay. We don't know how they are triggered," Kerret said.

"Alright, what about their defenses?"

"As best we can see, minimal. We've been watching, but things seem pretty quiet, haven't seen too many guards."

The Doctor nodded. "Let's get closer. I'll sonic the area and see what we can find out."

"This way then. We have a five minute walk over the dune." Kerret whistled to his group and they approached carrying weapons.

Atop the dune, the Doctor saw an oasis before them. Many buildings surrounded the center where a tall glass tower stood. Beyond the factories lay runways and hangers. He spotted various kinds of aircraft on the runway and in open hangers. A tall chain link fence surrounded the premises. The group then all scurried down and ran toward some meager brush outlaying the oasis.

As everyone organized themselves behind the brush and out of sight, the Doctor pointed his sonic toward the center of the oasis. Flicking the sonic, the Doctor announced the results.

"They are storing a massive amount of raw dark matter in that warehouse over there," he said bleakly while pointing out the building. "It's in a neutral state right now, but once converted, their stockpile of weapons will increase to a devastating amount."

"What do you suggest we do?" Kerret asked.

"Get rid of that raw dark matter. It's not a permanent fix but it will slow them down."

"How do we do that, Doctor?"

"Dark matter exists in a vacuum. Destroy whatever creates the vacuum and that dark matter will cease. There will probably be some hosing connected to the container. Break that connection, break the vacuum."

Kerret nodded. He looked to his group and said, "Squadrons 1 and 2, you come with me."

As the groups organized themselves and gathered weapons and explosives, Kerret turned to the Doctor. "Will you be coming with us?"

"No, I've got to figure out how they are controlling the spheres."

"Okay. You should have one of these then." Kerret brandished a pistol before the Doctor.

"No thanks, I don't do guns," he replied while flipping his screwdriver over. "I've got all I need right here," he said with a half-smile.

Rory stepped forward. "I'll come with you," he volunteered.

"Great!" Kerret replied. He reached over and took an assault rifle from one of his men. "Here you go," he said as he handed it over.

After accepting the weapon, Rory looked to Amy. "I want you to stay and help the Doctor," he said.

Amy nodded and approached him to give him a quick peck on the lips. "Be careful," she murmured.

The Doctor awkwardly averted his eyes as was typical for him.

Rory broke away from Amy and jogged off after the others. Some of the men already set to work on cutting through the fence.

Kerret looked to the Doctor again. "I'm leaving my second in command, Tarald, and these soldiers with you. Good luck," he said before running after the others.

Amy watched them until they disappeared from sight before returning her attention to the Doctor.

"Alright! Kerret said these spheres don't always activate right away. What does that sound like to you?" the Doctor asked, doing his thinking out loud routine.

"Someone is remotely controlling them," Amy replied.

"Exactly! There must be some control center. Let's go find it and shut it down," the Doctor said excitedly.

The pair ran from behind the bushes, through the hole in the fence, and to the backside of the nearest building with Tarald and the other soldiers following closely behind.

Sneaking between buildings, the group worked to stay as hidden as possible while the Doctor checked the buildings with his screwdriver.

A muffled explosion sounded then, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble. Tarald, listening in on his headset gave the thumbs up sign. A silent sigh of relief washed over the group.

"Gotch ya!" the Doctor exclaimed under his breath as he stood before a not-so-plain warehouse outfitted with satellite dishes. He looked up from the screwdriver to share a triumphant smile with Amy. Turning to approach the nearest door, Tarald broke the moment.

"Wait! They're in trouble!" he spoke in a hushed voice.

"Rory!" Amy whispered, the color instantly draining from her face.

Tarald took off at a dead run down the alley and Amy and his soldiers followed.

The Doctor instantly found himself in an internal battle. He knew that learning how the Urphis controlled the spheres was critical. There would be no stopping the Urphis otherwise. But then there was Amy, already running away from him. If he didn't protect her, she could end up getting herself killed.

"Ahh!" he growled.

The Doctor tore off after his companion, her red hair streaming behind her as she ran.

Once they all reached the end of the alley, they all saw a clearing before the warehouse that previously stored the raw dark matter. In front of the building, the soldiers stood firing their heavy weaponry. The Doctor looked to who they were shooting and saw three towering Urphis dressed in cream silk flowing robes. A legion of armored shorter Urphis led the taller leaders toward the soldiers. Tarald and his soldiers ran out into the clearing firing their guns at the Urphis.

Amy tried to run forward, but the Doctor caught her by the arm and held her back.

"Amy, it's too dangerous! You could get shot!" the Doctor yelled at her.

He dragged her behind a corner of a nearby building. They peered around the corner while he struggled to keep a firm hold on a frantic Amy.

The Urphis appeared unfazed by the gunfire given their armor protected them from most of the gunfire. Even though an occasional Urphi fell dead, they marched on with an eerie confidence before finally reaching the soldiers. Each tall Urphi had a bag slung over his shoulder. The Doctor and Amy then spotted Rory among the soldiers firing off shots from the assault rifle.

"Doctor!" Amy pleaded harshly as she broke her stare from Rory and looked up to the Doctor.

The Doctor always carried some pain in his eyes, but right then it was all too apparent. Grief racked his face, and he was at complete loss at what to do. Amy clutched his arm as she panicked.

With gangly limbs, the tall Urphis pulled out several spheres each and held them for a short moment.

Amy started screaming and tried to jerk free from the Doctor's grasp. Her screams, however, barely registered in the Doctor's brain as the events unfolded before them in slow motion. He only concentrated on two things: Ensuring Amy did not escape and not losing sight of Rory.

Some of the soldiers ceased firing their weapons given the hopelessness of the situation. In the brief lull, Rory looked off to the side and met the Doctor's gaze. Rory remained calm but grim, and the Doctor could tell Rory knew this was the end of the line. Rory silently nodded back to the Doctor. His focus shifted to Amy and he smiled wistfully at her before looking back to the Doctor.

"Look after her," he mouthed.

The Doctor, on the brink of tears, nodded back.

Rory closed his eyes.

The Urphis threw the spheres at the soldiers. The spheres didn't even hit the ground before they activated. A light flickered from the globes and then Rory and the soldiers silently disappeared. Completely gone, Amy couldn't even cry over a body. In a blink of an eye he disappeared into thin air.

"No!" Amy screamed. She ceased to fight the Doctor's strong hold. The Doctor bowed his head, and a single tear spilled over his eye and slid down his face.

Rory. The man who died several times over. But each time they got lucky. Each time the Doctor brought him back. But not this time. This time the Doctor's luck had run out. Life was a fickle thing and it would always come fully around. In reality, life was no fairytale. The hero could not save the day each time, and Amy just learned that her Doctor was definitely no hero.

Wracking sobs overtook Amy's body and she collapsed against the Doctor's arms. He supported her for a bit before allowing the two of them to sink to the ground. For a while, he felt nothing as shock continued to suffocate him, but he forced himself to pull it together.

The Doctor realized, sooner or later, the lanky Urphis would find him and Amy too, especially given all of her screaming.

"Amy, we have to get to the communication building before they find us." He grabbed her hands and dragged her distraught self back to the building. With a rarely seen fury blazing in his ancient eyes, he set his mind to work.

Upon reaching the building, he made quick work of the locked door with his screwdriver. He led Amy inside and locked the door behind them. Amy immediately curled up on a bench and it took every ounce of the Doctor's willpower to leave her and accomplish the task at hand. He looked up to find many massive supercomputers, wiring, and antennas. Scanning the nearest supercomputer he discovered the tall Urphis simply had to think the spheres into activation.

"They've had this power long enough," the Doctor muttered darkly as he raised his screwdriver once again.

He pointed the screwdriver at the computers, this time severing the Urphis' connection with it and making one with his screwdriver.

"Doctor! Come face us!" the Urphis thundered from outside.

With a harsh glint to his green eyes, the Doctor fixed his bowtie and confidently strode over to the door and outside. Amy still remained on the bench with a dull far-off look in her eyes, but he did not fear leaving her knowing the Urphis were powerless.

"Doctor!" the three leaders called again, all speaking as one. "Leave our world at once! Or face certain destruction!"

"Your reign of terror has come to an end!" he boldly announced.

"We'll see about that!" they answered.

Reaching into their bags they retrieved and threw several spheres at the Doctor. Instead, the spheres harmlessly fell to place around him. Frustration and confusion warped the tall Urphis' faces.

"You see," the Doctor began, "I took your ability to communicate with the spheres and gave it to myself. You will never harm anyone again."

He turned around and headed back to retrieve Amy. While doing so, he thought about the spheres the three Urphis were carrying and commanded them to activate. As he crossed over the doorway, he saw a light reflect off the building's side and then only silence remained to his back.

The Doctor returned slowly to Amy. What could he really say? A great weight burdened his hearts. He sat down next to her on the bench, but a considerable distance remained between the two. He really did not know what to do.

"He's not… he's not really gone? Is he?" Amy hiccupped. She gasped for breath between sobs.

"Amy, I'm so…" the Doctor began.

"No!" she harshly cut him off. She rose to her feet and covered her eyes with one hand.

"Just don't," she whispered before walking away. She quickened her pace and violently threw the hand by her face and slapped it against her thigh. Her stride faltered as she doubled over in a scream and then collapsed to the ground.

The Doctor watched all of this from the bench. His face went ashen and his eyes looked lost. They lacked all traces of the usual emotion he carried.

Seeing her on the ground, he instinctively rose to his feet, but approached her warily, unsure as to how she would react to his presence. When he reached her, he sunk to his knees in front of her. She looked up and when she saw how utterly broken his face looked, her own face contorted as she painfully gasped for air.

The Doctor reached one hand out but hesitated for a second in mid-air. When Amy did not react, probably due to being unable to see from the tears, he finally brought his hand to the side of her face. She bowed her head slightly but did not react otherwise to his touch. The tears dripped one by one off of her nose.

They remained that way for several minutes. The Doctor rubbed his thumb tenderly over her cheek as he whispered brokenly, "We should get going."

He reached down for both of her hands and gently pulled her up. With one arm around her waist he supported her as they slowly made their way back to the TARDIS. The ten minutes it took to reach the sand dunes felt more like a hundred years to the Doctor. And he knew what a hundred years felt like. Once they retreated past the sand dune, the Doctor commanded all the remaining spheres in the oasis to activate, leaving no trace of the horrid weapons or those involved in their creation.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor reached back and closed the door on the worst day of Amy's life. He bowed his head and brought his forehead to hers. Amy, however, ripped herself from his hold and rushed past the console and to her room.

When the door slammed shut, the Doctor flinched. Agony shot through his hearts.

After living for over one thousand years, the Doctor had disappointed more people than he could count. Many would think after having disappointed so many people, his heart would have hardened, protecting him from feeling any negative emotion. Well, they would be wrong. He himself thought he would change over the coming years and indeed he did in some ways. But this, it was always the same. After spending enough time around a loyal companion, how could he not feel anything?

He let her down.

He could not think of it any differently, because it was the truth. To him, it felt like there was no coming back.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you guys so much for reading and supporting this story! You all are so awesome. I had a lot of fun writing grumpy Daryl in this chapter. ;) Enjoy!_

* * *

One of Amy's favorite chores was looking after the group's patch of crops. So far she only had to water the area and remove weeds because nothing had sprouted yet, but she enjoyed it. It was another chance for her to stay outside, something she treasured greatly. If she had the opportunity after working, she would often steal a bit of time for herself. It was nice to just have a peaceful moment alone and not worry what the others thought of her.

One time, while studying the forest beyond the fence, she heard a noise directly behind her. She tensed and instinctively reached for the knife at her hip. Looking behind her, she only relaxed slightly seeing Daryl standing there. Still startled, she regarded him with a mixture of wariness and disdain.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I have some time. Figured you might still want to learn ta shoot," he said.

Amy looked at him, surprised at the offer.

"Got nothin' better to do," he added quickly.

Amy's features softened slightly. She did not exactly feel like spending time with the temperamental Daryl right then, but she knew that if he offered something, she better take it, lest it disappear as quickly as it appeared.

"Alright, let's go," Amy conceded.

"We have ta head back to the cell block to get some stuff," he said.

Once inside, Daryl disappeared into an unused cell at the end of the row on the main floor. He reappeared with a crate full of empty beer bottles.

"Take this," he said as he handed it over to her.

Amy looked him in the eye with a crooked smile.

"And where did you get these from?" she teased.

"None of yer business," he said while avoiding looking at her.

"Sure it isn't," she replied with a laugh.

He glared back at her.

"Oh, come now. Wouldn't want you to mess up that handsome face of yours with those grumpy looks."

Daryl couldn't manage an intelligent reply, and Amy laughed at how she had caught him off guard.

"That's better," she told him with a smug smile. She shifted the crate to one hip, freeing a hand to pat him on the chest. He flinched under her brief touch, but she didn't pay mind to it and walked past without a second glance. She didn't mean much by teasing him. Her eyes were set on the stars, and she knew that Daryl and Carol indeed had a special connection. However, Amy got the impression that neither Daryl nor Carol was completely aware of that.

Daryl could only grumble under his breath before picking up a small table and following her out the building. Under her brief touch, his skin felt like it had burned.

* * *

Daryl set up the card table in front of a gentle hill and placed the beer bottles evenly across it.

He then walked back to Amy holding a Glock pistol. He explained the mechanics of the gun: How to insert and eject the magazine, see if the gun was loaded, load a round, and finally, how to fire it. He also went over some basic safety guidelines of handling a firearm. Honestly, Daryl wasn't sure if Amy was the type of girl who would turn the gun around and look down the barrel or carelessly point the gun at others.

Daryl then handed the gun over to Amy who tentatively took it in her hands. Daryl made her practice all the steps up to firing with the empty weapon over and over again. He wanted her to be competent in readying the weapon by herself someday. Daryl could tell Amy was a bit overwhelmed by the flood of information, but she seemed up to the challenge. He next taught her how to load a magazine and watched as she poured her concentration into readying several. Occasionally a bullet slipped out of her fingers as she forced it into the magazine.

After quickly running through all the steps one more time, Daryl indicated for her to give the gun back. He adeptly inserted a full magazine and pulled the slide backward to load the first round. He then demonstrated how to have a firm grip on the gun and aim at a target before sending a bullet into a bottle at the end of the line. The sound of breaking glass accompanied the bottle exploding into many pieces.

Daryl looked to her and told her to come closer as he moved to a point roughly ten feet away from the table. He handed the gun back to her and motioned to the awaiting bottles.

"Have at it," he said.

So far, Amy felt that everything had gone smoothly, but when she finally held the fully loaded gun she couldn't help but feel nervous. The thought of holding something that was capable of so much destruction and having to remember a bunch of things so she didn't hurt herself or anyone else was a lot to take. The pressure really fell on her then.

She felt the textured plastic of the gun as she molded her hands around it with a firm grip. Raising the gun, she focused on lining up the sights on one of the middle bottles. The muscles in her arms and shoulders screamed with tension as she took an agonizing amount of time in squeezing the trigger. When the gun finally went off she yelped and jumped a little. Distracted by the noise and recoil, she didn't even look at the bottles.

Daryl, however, watched both her and the bottles. A puff of dust rose up from the hill behind the table. She wasn't even close. He silently eyed her from behind his scraggly hair with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she asked him with a pointed look. "Excuse me, but I've never held a gun before. It just took me by surprise, that's all," Amy defended herself.

Daryl audibly sighed and motioned to the bottles once again.

Knowing what to expect this time, Amy settled down and focused. She fired a shot, but still missed by a fair distance.

"Pull the trigger straight back, otherwise it pulls your shot. Take your time. Breath," he ordered.

"How am I supposed to take my time if a walker is headed straight for me?" an exasperated Amy demanded.

"It takes less time to fire one good shot than to fire two or three bad ones. Plus, we don't got a lot of bullets." He looked to the table again.

Amy raised the gun and tried over and over again. Sometimes she shot the table, once she hit a bottle she wasn't aiming at. But soon enough, with Daryl's quiet but sound advice, Amy improved her aim and took out that middle bottle. After that, she hit the bottles fewer and fewer attempts each.

While practicing, thinking about the end goal of all this weighed heavily on her mind. Knowing that she'd need to be prepared to act with this weapon in future life or death situations made her extremely nervous. Her hands shook slightly at the thought and she missed yet another shot.

"Relax! You were doin' jus' fine," Daryl barked. He must have picked up on the tremors like a hawk.

Amy pushed the thoughts aside. Silence filled the air and time itself seemed to slow as Amy looked to the same bottle. She shot that bottle and then honed the sights on a new one. With a loud bang, that bottle sailed backward off the table and exploded.

"Yes!" Amy shouted. She raised both hands above her head victoriously with the gun still in her right hand. Quickly remembering that she was breaking a bunch of safety rules, she brought her arms back down and made sure the gun was pointed in a safe direction.

Daryl stood stock still, giving her a wary glance the entire time.

He stepped closer to her, hand outstretched. "Give it back. That's enough practice for ya."

Amy pouted in response. "But I'm just getting good," she joked. Amy handed the gun over. Daryl stuffed it in his pants as he strode over to collect the few unbroken bottles.

"Can we practice again soon?" Amy inquired as she followed him over.

"Yeah, when ma ears rest up from havin' to listen to ya," Daryl said while looking at the bottles.

"Oh Daryl! I'm not that bad," Amy tried to convince him in a sing-song voice.

Daryl ignored her as he continued to load up the crate.

"Will you take this back up? I'm gonna check the perimeter since I'm already here," Daryl said as he lifted up the crate.

"Yeah," she replied as she took the crate from him.

He turned away and began to walk off, but Amy called to him.

"Seriously though, thanks for today," she said with a brief smile.

Daryl turned half way to her and nodded before resuming his trek.

Amy turned in the opposite direction and made her way to the prison. She pondered how strange it was to live in a world that revolved around weapons. One that so desperately depended on them. Not only were guns seldom seen while growing up in Scotland, but violence was also unlike the Doctor's ways. He refused to have anything to do with guns. She wondered how he would handle living in this world if he were stuck like she was. But she also knew how highly unlikely it would be that he would actually be stuck. He would come up with some brilliant plan that would make the walkers no longer a threat and then run off.

* * *

A few days later, Daryl was enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet in the courtyard when an exuberant Amy interrupted it all. Leaning against a wall, he nearly fell asleep in the cool shade it offered, when she suddenly appeared in front of him asking something.

He cursed under his breath for her appearing so suddenly. "What do ya want, woman?" he mumbled.

"You said to meet you later today for practice. So here I am!" she said all smiles.

Still feeling dozed, Daryl groaned. "Fine. Go get the bottles, I'll be right over," he grumbled as he shut his eyes again.

His eyes unwillingly snapped open at the sound of running feet, verifying that she actually was making a dash inside. Daryl sighed to himself and a few minutes later hauled himself up to his feet. He reached down and collected his crossbow before heading to the inner field.

Amy's handling of the gun steadily improved and this time she didn't point it anywhere she shouldn't. All in all, a good practice in Daryl's book. He figured she could get the job done if she found herself in a close encounter with a walker. After a brief third practice together, Daryl finally let Amy keep the weapon which she gratefully accepted.

* * *

Amy watered the bare patches of ground that made up their garden on a lovely clear afternoon a few days after receiving the gun. With the gun always on her, her sense of confidence and security had increased significantly. Slowly but surely, she was moving away from her outsider status.

Amy returned to the grass between the brown patches where Beth sat waiting. Both girls were anxiously awaiting their crops to grow, but no traces of green had yet to poke their heads above the earth. Beth requested that Amy put her hair up in a french braid and Amy gladly obliged. Amy sat down and set to work when Maggie appeared and took a seat near them.

"Hey, Beth. Guess what? I just talked to Daddy and he's going outside today," Maggie told her.

"Is he ready for that?" Beth worried.

Maggie nodded her head. "He's already tried out some steps and he feels he's built up enough strength with the walking he's already done inside."

"Okay," Beth smiled.

Maggie looked to Amy and smiled. "He sure picked a nice day too."

"I'm so happy for him," she replied with a smile as she concentrated on Beth's golden locks.

A comfortable silence fell over the group for a few minutes.

Amy looked briefly up and over at Maggie. "Maggie, how long have you known Glenn for? You guys are so cute together," Amy said.

Maggie smiled brightly. "Thanks. Um, little less than a year I think," she replied. Maggie laughed lightly to herself. "I'll never forget when I first met him. I came riding into the woods and smacked this walker in the head with a baseball bat. Glenn, Lori, and a few others stood there all stunned but I had to get Lori and leave right away. Carl actually had just been shot and I had to get her back to our farm. Later that night, Glenn and a few others finally made it over. We were all waiting for some supplies 'cause Carl needed surgery. I walked outside and it was evenin' by then and there Glenn was sittin' on our front porch worrying for his friends. The poor thing was praying for the first time and I ruined it for him, but he was a good sport about it."

Amy and Beth chuckled.

"Glenn, he's just always been so goofy, as I'm sure you've noticed by now," Maggie said with a smile.

Amy gave a little laugh. "I didn't know it when I first met you lot on the road," she joked.

Maggie laughed too. "No, I suppose you didn't."

Maggie sobered a little after a pause and resumed her story. "We lost our neighbor shortly after Carl got shot. I was so devastated but there was Glenn, right there for me. After that though, we just clicked and he has always been great."

Maggie paused again. "It's weird, but sometimes I think how I would've never met him if, if all this," she said as she gestured all around her, "had never happened."

Beth piped up then. "But y'all might have met eventually, like it was destiny or something."

"Bethy, I swear you read too much sci-fi," Maggie joked and gently swatted her on the arm. Beth sent a mock scowl back at her.

"I suppose you're right though," Maggie conceded at last. "Well, I best get going and help the others. We're going to be burning the walker bodies soon," Maggie said as she rose to her feet.

Alone again, the ever popular topic of the Doctor came up.

Beth chuckled to herself lightly. "I can't believe I haven't asked you this earlier, but what does the Doctor look like?"

Amy smiled as she remembered him. "Well, he's kinda tall and lanky. He's got this crazy floppy brown hair." Amy paused when she thought of his hair; she always liked that about him.

"But really, he's kind of a nut. He wears this tweed jacket, braces, and a bow tie. He has this silly saying, 'Bow ties are cool!'"

Beth laughed. "Do you mean he wears braces on his teeth? Isn't he kinda old for that?"

"No," Amy giggled. "Not those, your dad wears them."

Beth remained quiet.

"The things that keep his pants up," Amy said. "Wait, hold your hair and look," she said. Beth turned around and watched Amy motion on herself where they would they lie.

"Uh, suspenders," Beth giggled. "Oh, okay. I had a really weird picture of him in my mind when you first said that. Still sounds like an odd combination though."

Amy laughed back and resumed her work on Beth's hair. "It is. And get his. He wears the same thing each day. You'd think he would want to change it up a bit. But nope, same thing."

Beth giggled as Amy ranted about the Doctor.

"Despite all of his weirdness, he is actually really hot."

Beth laughed again. "If you say so," she replied in a semi-dubious tone.

"No! He really is!" Amy insisted, laughing all the while.

The girls continued to laugh at each other, only to finally quiet down a few minutes later.

"Whew," Amy said, dabbing at the tears of laughter that escaped with one hand. A movement caught her eye and she looked up from the braid. Carl approached them with one hand held behind his back.

"Speaking of hotties, look who's coming," Amy whispered.

Beth glanced around and caught sight of him too.

"Oh Amy! Stop it," Beth hissed.

Amy chuckled at making Beth uncomfortable, but abruptly quieted down when Carl reached them.

"Uh, hi Beth. I found some flowers growing in a corner of the field. Picked these for you." Carl handed the flowers down to Beth.

"Aw, thanks Carl," Beth replied and blushed lightly.

Carl stood there and an awkward silence fell over the group.

"Your hair looks really nice," he finally said.

"Thanks," Beth breathed. She broke her stare from the grass she picked at and up at him.

"Well that should do it," Amy said as she tied off the braid.

"Thank you so much!" Beth gushed as she fingered the braids.

"You're very welcome. Now let's go see your dad walk outside," Amy told her.

Beth beamed back and all three of them hurried back to the prison to meet Hershel.

* * *

While walking, Beth reflected on how much time she spent together with Amy, whether they were doing chores or not. Since Maggie hung out with Glenn most of the time, Beth ended up taking a real liking to Amy because she was the next closest in age. Amy really was like a second big sister to Beth. She would gently brush or braid Beth's hair while telling her stories of her time together with the Doctor. Beth also enjoyed Amy's presence for her up-beat personality and willingness to make her happy with the stories. She enjoyed that youthful quality of Amy's personality and it was refreshing to her. Everyone, including Beth, had been so beat down by the horror around them that they had become hardened. And this in turn had aged them all in a way time could not touch. Around Amy, she felt like a normal teenager again. Beth was only sixteen years old after all. However, after all the trauma she and her family had endured, she sometimes forgot that fact.

Beth could not help wishing sometimes that she was Amy and could've had the opportunity to see so many cool things. Beth had been quiet all her life. She wasn't popular at school and friends were always few and far between. Not only did Beth's shyness prove a hindrance, but growing up as a farmer's daughter also came with its set of challenges. Day in and day out, she had morning and evening chores to do. With those responsibilities, Beth found herself in the evenings with neither an abundance of time or energy. With the time she did have, she enjoyed reading and watching TV. She particularly liked stuff about science fiction. Since Beth herself wished she could have been Amy, she couldn't even imagine how Amy was handling the adjustment from her fairy tale like travels with the Doctor to the cruel end of the world.

As Beth and the others walked through the courtyard, her thoughts turned back to her daddy. Her heart felt like it could burst with happiness. She had felt so much despair for him since he got hurt, but he had improved greatly. And soon he'd get to breathe some fresh air again. Butterflies of excitement flew in her stomach as they stepped inside the cooler prison building.

* * *

Between Amy, Beth, Lori, and Carl, they managed to escort Hershel from his cell to the courtyard with only a little trouble on the stairs. Hershel marveled at how the group had cleared the grounds of the walker bodies. Amy stood there with them and looked at Hershel with his daughter. A warmth filled Amy's heart seeing them enjoy a rare joyful moment. Amy had not felt happier since arriving in Georgia. Her own journey had been difficult so far to say the least, but she had made progress. Things were still rough, but she was starting to feel like a small part of the group.

The rest of the group was also outside preparing to burn the walker bodies, but each momentarily stopped their work to look on with smiles and share in Hershel's victory. A warm breeze washed over the content group. Amy reached up to adjust some of her hair that blew about. It was hard to imagine that anything bad could happen in that moment. But wasn't that how it always went?

Why did life shine ever so brightly just before everything, absolutely everything, fell apart? Before the light of life was cruelly snuffed out? All the colors around Amy held a vibrancy that she would not soon forget. Not because the moment in itself was especially grand, but because it preceded a moment of horror. She remembered all of the little details: The different hues of green in the tree leaves fluttering in the breeze, the rich brown color of the tree trunks, the off-white color of Hershel's shirt, the red bandana tied around Maggie's wrist when she shielded her eyes from the bright sun and grinned up at her dad, the gray crisscross of metal links in the fence that Rick clutched with his fingers as he looked on with a smile from inside the lane, and the red arrows attached to the crossbow Daryl held as he stood beside Rick and Glenn. Mostly, she remembered how the corners of Daryl's mouth tugged ever so slightly up toward the blue sky.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Hi my loves! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I feel terrible about it. I am taking a summer class and the accelerated pace of it finally got me along with other things. That class will be over this week though, and I'm looking forward to returning to a more normal schedule which means more writing. Thanks again for all the support!

I'd also like to give a shout out to Caitlin (andstilltheyechome) for helping me out and giving feedback for this story. Lastly, I'd highly recommend reading her newest fanfic "Black Dreams" for the movie, Now You See Me, or if you're just a fan of a well written romance.

* * *

"Walkers!" Carl yelled.

Walkers. A perfectly clear warning, and yet Amy was stunned into incomprehension for a moment. Seeing the horrified looks of the others directed behind her, she caught on.

Amy drew her pistol and whipped around. In the few seconds it took her to retrieve her weapon, sheer panic already took a firm hold of her. Making a conscious effort to steady her shaking hands, she fired a few shots off at the nearby walkers. Deafening shots rang out all around her, but the walkers continued to pour in.

Amidst the gunfire, Beth caught some of Beth's screams, probably directed at her dad. Maggie, Carol, and T-Dog ran up to the courtyard and joined the others in the shoot out.

Amy caught a glimpse of Beth leading her father toward some stairs and ran after the defenseless pair. A couple of walkers honed in on the duo as they made a mad dash up the stairs and toward a small fenced in area outside of a door to the prison. Amy shot the nearby walkers down.

"Daddy, behind you!" Beth cried.

Hershel smacked one that made it up the stairs and across the face with a crutch before hobbling up the last few steps. Amy met the fallen walker at the foot of the stairs and shot it before it could rise again.

"Amy! Hurry!" Beth called out while holding open the gate.

Amy started to head up the stairs when yelling drew her attention behind her.

"That gate is open!" T-Dog shouted before running across the courtyard toward it.

Maggie then called out to Lori and Carl who ran after her toward a fenced-in tunnel leading to a door outside their cell block. Lori brought up the rear holding her protruding belly, and slid the door shut with one last look outside. Nearby movement caught Amy's attention and made her heart thud violently in her chest. Shifting her focus back in front of her, she saw a few walkers approaching her. She picked them off as quickly as she could manage before bounding down the stairs.

"Amy! What are you doing? Get back up here!" Beth pleaded frantically.

"I'm sorry! I have to help them!" Amy yelled back.

Amy heard the gate close behind her as she bounded off after Carol and T-Dog. Carol's red head scarf stood out among the muted grays and blues of the surrounding walkers. Shooting and running through the walker-infested courtyard demanded both women's attention, but after seeing what happened next, Amy wished she could have somehow spared one glance toward T-Dog before it was too late. A lone jumpsuit clad walker with scraggly long blonde hair bit into T-Dog's shoulder as he stood in front of the now shut gate which held back a large herd of snarling walkers. Carol and Amy both cried out in dismay as T-Dog unloaded all his remaining bullets into the walker's head. He threw the empty gun to the ground and ran toward Carol. The remaining walkers on their side of the fence closed in on them.

"Go! Get inside! I'll hold them off!" Amy yelled at them, never breaking her stare on the advancing creatures.

Amy unleashed gunfire on the nearby walkers, while hearing the scuffle of running feet behind her between shots. When a door slammed shut soon after, Amy sighed with relief.

Not counting her shots, Amy's heart took a choke hold of her throat when the gun only clicked in response at the walker she aimed at. Sweat poured down her burning face, and with clammy hands, she ejected the magazine. Her sweaty pants stuck to her skin, making the task of digging out her spare loaded magazine difficult. Amy frantically alternated her attention between getting the magazine and dodging walkers. She finally retrieved it with violently shaking hands only for it to tumble from her grasp and clatter against the ground.

Diving toward it, she saw a pair of walker feet stagger into her field of vision. She grabbed the magazine and rolled out of the way. Snapping the full magazine into place, she rose to her knees, took aim, and fired. Her shot went low and into its shoulder.

A surge of fear coursed through her body as she took aim again. This time she got the walker in the head and it fell with a thud.

As Amy regained her footing, she heard gunfire once again.

"What the hell happened?" Rick thundered, his words carrying past the courtyard.

Amy sprinted back and caught the tail-end of Rick's conversation with Beth and Hershel. Glenn and Daryl picked off the remaining walkers.

"Stay put," Rick instructed Beth and Hershel.

Amy joined the men as Glenn informed them that the gate chains had been deliberately cut.

Amy noticed a tall black guy along and a scrawny sandy-haired man with a strange mustache, both wearing filthy navy jumpsuits, hesitating outside the courtyard. Amy had only seen them occasionally in passing. She knew the black guy's name was Oscar and the smaller one's Axel. Other than that, she only knew that the group did not trust them and was going to send them out on the road.

"You think they did it?" Glenn asked, also staring at Oscar and Axel.

"Who else?" Rick growled.

Sirens began to blare which only added fuel to Rick's burning rage. Everyone looked around frantically.

"You've got to be kiddin' me!" Daryl exclaimed.

Rick and Glenn shot out three megaphones attached to various places on the building wall to no avail. The sound continued on and whipped the walkers beyond the fence into a frenzy. Rick turned on Oscar and Axel in an instant.

He ran up to them, pointing his gun at Oscar.

"How the hell can this be happening?" he demanded, his words dripping with venom.

A heated Rick questioned Oscar about the prison's generators, and Daryl trained his crossbow on Oscar. Amy felt taken aback seeing the ferocity with which she had seen Rick carry himself for the first time. Seeing this intense and potentially deadly side to all the men left Amy reeling. She still hadn't even caught up with the fact that their seemingly impenetrable fortress had been compromised.

_How could this happen? _

Things were definitely spiraling out of control.

"Come with us!" Rick thundered as he grabbed Oscar's shirt and dragged him. Rick tore off toward the nearest door, followed by the others. Knowing Beth and Hershel were safe, Amy raced after the men.

Inside, they found their cell block overrun with walkers. Amy ran with Rick past the other men as they shot down walkers in the side cell. Amy and Rick entered the cell block, also finding it full of walkers. Working together, they quickly cleared the area. Between the gunshots echoing off the concrete walls and the alarms, Amy's ears and head ached.

"Lori! Carl!" Rick called as he looked in the cells but found no sign of them.

The other men joined them in the block.

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick yelled. "We'll split up and look for the others. Whoever gets to the generators first, shut them down!"

"Let's go!" Glenn yelled.

On their way through the side cell, Amy grabbed another loaded magazine and stuffed it in her pocket as she chased after Daryl.

"Oscar, come with me. Amy, you go with Daryl," Rick instructed as they ran into the tombs.

Quickly, the others dispersed leaving Amy and Daryl to race through a different dark and suffocating hallway. All the while, Amy and Daryl strained to hear the hum of generators over their pounding feet, heavy breathing, and the ear-splitting sirens. The generators caused the hallway lights to flicker on and off. One moment they could see just fine, and the next left them fumbling through complete darkness. Daryl retrieved a torch and they ran on for several minutes in the maze.

At the end of a dark hallway, they saw two figures standing. At their approach, the two men whipped around leaving the two pairs holding each other at gunpoint. With the light from the torch, Amy and Daryl recognized Rick and Oscar.

"Found the generators," Rick said.

Snarling walkers appeared then around a corner and hobbled after them. Rick and Oscar burst through the door followed by Amy, and Daryl brought up the rear. Daryl slammed the door shut on the advancing walkers and Rick and Oscar set to work making sense of the generators.

About to follow after them, Amy heard Daryl's feet sliding against the floor. She turned to find his crossbow on the floor and he with his back up against the door, struggling to keep it shut against the clawing herd of walkers. She ran full force into the door to gain some ground against the walkers. Between the two of them, they still struggled to keep the door shut. Amy's shoulder collided with Daryl's as they fought to find purchase with the ground.

"Ahh!" Rick's yell filled the air.

Her mind exploded with fear and shock. Metal cabinets around the room obscured her view of Rick, but she heard the sound of scuffling feet and people crashing against the cabinets.

Daryl caught Amy's attention. He pointedly looked from her and to the crossbow that lay just out of his reach.

They both heard thrashing as Rick continued to fight with someone. Something metallic skidded across the floor.

Amy lunged at the crossbow and shoved it back into Daryl's hands. Amy ducked out of his way as he spun around and shot the first walker that crashed through the doorway. He dropped the crossbow, pulled his knife, and stabbed the remaining few before slamming the door shut. Daryl stalked up to the fight before them with his knife ready. He sidestepped slowly in order to keep anyone from acting rashly. Amy retrieved his crossbow from the ground and followed closely behind him. Her breathing quickened as she neared the scene, fearful for what may befall the group next.

As they approached, Amy saw Oscar holding Rick's gun. He had it raised and pointing toward Rick and an unfamiliar black man standing behind Rick. Rick held up a hand silently urging Oscar to reconsider.

Daryl kept his knife ready as he sidled up next to Oscar.

"Shoot him! We can take back this prison," the black man encouraged Oscar.

Rick remained silent and kept steady eye contact with Oscar. He held a strong expression on his face, but she could tell he had his doubts. So did Amy, and the tension was eating away at her.

"What you waiting for! Do it! This is our house. Shoot him!" the other man demanded.

A single gunshot reverberated throughout the room and Amy's breath caught in her throat. It took a second to believe her eyes, but Rick remained standing.

Daryl continued watching Oscar, sparing an occasional glance toward Rick.

Oscar flipped the gun around and handed it back to Rick. Rick nodded in thanks and Daryl relaxed. Off to the side of Daryl, Amy stood trembling.

Rick flipped two switches and the blaring noise finally ceased. The generators made a humming noise as they powered down.

Behind Amy, the door squeaked open and a raspy growl emitted from it. She handed the crossbow back to Daryl. With still trembling limbs, Amy headed back to the door and shot the walker.

"Clear," she called.

"Let's go," Rick said, his voice hoarse.

Amy, Daryl, Rick, and Oscar rushed onward through the tombs. In a dark intersection of halls, Amy collided with something causing her to yelp. Daryl and Rick stopped in their tracks and wielded back toward her, weapons and torches drawn.

"Sorry guys!" Glenn whispered, his hands held up in a pacifying manner. Axel hung back, a fearful look overtaking his face at all the weapons pointed in his general direction.

Amy collected herself and Rick nodded to Glenn and Axel. Together again, they all continued onward looking for an exit. A distressing sight at a ninety degree turn in the hallway brought all that progress to an abrupt halt. Amy stopped breathing at the sight before them.

Two walkers hunched over a carcass, holding bits of flesh in their hands like rodents.

Amy averted her gaze to the side as Rick shot the walkers down, only to see Carol's red head scarf lying in the heap on the ground near a door at the end of the hallway. The realization jolted her painfully like a bolt of lightning. From her brief glimpse of the body, she thought the clothing looked familiar.

_That's T-Dog lying there._

Amy took in a shuddering breath as she stood frozen in place. One hand covered her mouth as her sobs first appeared in the gentle shake of her shoulders. Her eyes never left the fallen garment the entire time. Hearing Amy, Daryl looked over to her and followed her gaze to the scarf.

Daryl wordlessly walked over and stooped to pick up it up. He tucked it into his pocket before turning his back on the group. Betraying no emotion, Daryl pushed open the door and exited outside.

Amy looked to Rick who stood before their friend, gazing downward. The two slaughtered walkers lay around him. The light that spilled inside caught Rick's attention and he looked up toward it. Amy clearly saw the loss he felt on his face. The other men stood behind him, and they all wore the same grim look.

With nothing left to accomplish inside, the group left their fallen friend behind. They all ran along beside the building back toward the courtyard. An oppressive silence fell over the group, the only sounds being the heavy tread of feet and the occasional metallic clicking from a gun or knife.

As soon as they came within sight of the courtyard, Amy and the men anxiously looked for some sign of the others. Instead, they only found that Beth and Hershel had retreated from the enclosure looking just as concerned as they were.

"Hershel!" Rick called.

"You didn't find them?" Hershel sadly stated more than questioned.

"Thought they might have come back out here," Glenn answered.

"What about T? Carol?" Hershel inquired.

"They didn't make it," Daryl muttered in reply.

Amy's heart pounded with pain at his broken response. She couldn't bring herself to believe his words.

Rick jumped in then. "That doesn't mean the others didn't. We're going back. Daryl, you and…"

A baby's cry cut through Rick's words like a knife.

If the air wasn't already heavy, that cry just solidified it. The air held an electric feel to it. It had the potential to snap and crackle at any moment.

Rick halted his rushed attempt at organizing his people and slowly turned to face the noise.

Maggie emerged from a fenced-in tunnel with a small bundle tucked close to her chest. Her mouth twitched and she choked back sobs, as she pushed past the gate which emitted a harsh whine. Carl followed closely behind her with downcast eyes.

Amy's blood ran cold when she saw Carl's hands. He looked like he wore two red gloves. Two gloves of blood. Both his little arms hung limp at his sides, and his small gun dangled from his right hand. Maggie didn't look any better with her hands and arms also covered in blood. Maggie continued staggering forward, struggling to say anything recognizable. Once Carl entered the courtyard, he remained rooted in place.

Rick approached Maggie slowly. He stepped over a fallen walker body and dropped the axe he carried. It made a heavy thud when it collided with the ground. When he got closer to her, he regarded her warily, almost like a wild animal. He paced all around her.

"Where…where is she?" he asked, his voice cracking with worry.

As hard as she tried, she could form no words. Rick made to move past her.

"No. Rick, no," Maggie blubbered. She reached out to him, as if trying to stop him.

Rick ignored her and walked up to his son. With one look at Carl, Rick covered his own face with his hands and began to weep.

He bent over to get down to Carl's level. When Carl continued to stare dully past him, Rick had all the confirmation he needed.

"No," Rick wailed. "Oh no, no, no," he continued on, his face wrenched into a sob.

Amy's heart clenched up painfully at seeing everyone so distraught. She couldn't possibly imagine what could have happened inside the building's grasp.

As Rick hollered with grief, the air broke into a thousand shards of glass. No one breathed. No one moved. No one thought anything.

Even though the air clawed at Amy's skin, she needed to help Maggie out. She waded through the oppressive tension over to Maggie and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder seeing the tears streaming down her face. Glenn also appeared beside Amy and did his best to comfort his girlfriend.

"Here, let me," Amy murmured as she moved her hands to the baby wrapped in a jean jacket.

Maggie handed the baby over and then collapsed into the arms of Glenn. As she sobbed into his chest, Amy decided it best to give them some space.

Amy retreated to the furthest edge of the group and gently rocked the small baby in her arms. Normally, Amy would go all mushy over little babies, but after that day's events, she merely felt tired. It was comforting to her, though, to hold the baby in her arms, to feel the baby wriggling once in a while, and to feel his or her warmth against her chest. Amy could at least keep this baby safe.

Behind Amy, the scrape of footsteps sounded. If she hadn't felt so utterly broken, so lost in grief, she would have reacted more prominently to the noise. Had it been five minutes earlier when she was all jacked up on adrenaline, she would have whipped around, gun at the ready. Now she only felt a suffocating despair, and it was making her numb to danger. Or to caring, for that matter. She lifted her weary eyes up from the ground. Shifting the baby to one arm she retrieved her gun from the back of her pants. Checking once again she had a secure hold on the baby, she raised the gun, slowly pivoted around, and readied to shoot the stray walker down. But Amy saw the lone figure was not a walker at all, but Carol.

Amy slowly lowered her gun and her face crumpled with pure relief as Carol walked up toward her. Carol took one look at the baby and asked no questions. She stared dully at Rick curled up on the ground. Amy glanced at the other women and saw the silent trails of tears running down her face.

After a couple heavy minutes, Amy reached out to the other woman. They hugged each other, remaining mindful of the baby in between them.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for going on this adventure with me. I hope you all enjoy this long chapter! :D

* * *

After Rory died, Amy depended heavily on the Doctor. The Doctor had always been a stable force in her life, at least once she finally started traveling with him. But with Rory gone, Amy felt as though she had to rely on him more than ever. In the midst of her grief, she was faced with one fact. The Doctor was there and Rory was not. It was an unspoken arrangement, but as Amy fell into the paralyzing grips of mourning, the Doctor watched over her since she was unable to do so herself. She completely trusted him and placed her hope with him in the meantime.

Soon after, the Doctor asked her if she wanted to go back home, if it was too painful to be on the TARDIS without Rory, but she just shook her head, blinking back the tears.

With a brave smile, she replied, "This is my home. Here with you."

She stood up on her toes to kiss him on the forehead, as she had done so many times before, and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her hair and they stood in silence.

It took a long time for Amy to approach some sense of normalcy, or as close as one can get after such a tragedy. The Doctor worried for her during that time. Her eyes remained dull, and her fiery spark, snuffed.

Once, the Doctor lost track of time while working on some tricky console repairs and as he finished, he realized the task had preoccupied him for over five hours. He had made a point since Rory's death to not constantly hover over her but to let her have plenty of time to herself since that was what she needed. However, as all those hours had passed, he had not seen her once. He set off to look for her but didn't find her in any of her usual spots: Her room, the kitchen, the library, nowhere. He paced around the console area, his thoughts racing, until it dawned on him to stop.

_Stop running._

Once his feet and mind had quieted, he could actually listen to what was going on around him. Sure enough, he heard the sound of muffled sobs coming from beneath his feet. He sighed to himself and slowly descended the stairs to find Amy huddled in his swing. A single hand covered her face and her shoulders shook. Kneeling down to her level, he placed both his hands on either side of her face and gently rubbed his thumb over her jaw.

"Shh," he cooed.

"Come here," he murmured as drew her to her feet and into his arms. She rested her head against his chest as he stroked her red locks. They stayed like that for a long time until her sobs quieted. Feeling her grow weary, he guided her up the stairs and to her room. Once settled in bed, he stroked her hair again as he spoke.

"I'll be at the console if you need me."

She offered a weak smile in return. He leaned down and kissed her forehead one last time before rising to leave. As he closed the door quietly behind him, he felt her weariness and despair as if it were his own. Really, he held it too. Rory was a good chap and a good companion. It broke his hearts to see life treat his dear Amy so unkindly.

The Doctor dragged himself down the stairs and approached the console. He looked toward the clear column without seeing it and mindlessly fiddled with the knobs and buttons.

The click-clack of shoes of shoes against the floor then sounded, which snapped him out of his daze. He slowly turned around to find River standing before him.

Unsmiling, River locked eyes with him briefly, before looking up the stairs.

"She's doing about as well as can be expected," the Doctor said seeing where River looked.

"Yeah, I know," River murmured. She still avoided his gaze.

"Oh River, I'm so sorry. He was your dad. How can I be so stupid?" He rubbed a hand over his tired face.

River only responded by blinking her eyes faster. She took a deep breath, and the Doctor's eyes wandered around the room, unsure as what to do next.

"I'm not going to see you for a while." River's tortured words broke the silence, and the Doctor's eyes snapped back to her.

"Okay…" he said dismissively when she did not elaborate upon that. He didn't know what she was getting at.

River closed the distance between them and promptly slapped his face.

"Ow! What did I do?" he asked with an indignant tone. His wild eyes widened as he rubbed his cheek.

"Spoilers…" she whispered, her voice wavering.

"River!" he demanded.

"What you will do!" she snapped, as a single tear spilled from her gleaming eyes.

"Great. Can't wait," he mumbled, but a spark blazed in his eyes. He turned on his heel and put some much needed distance between them. At the console he roughly flipped some switches, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. Unsettled, he began to pace around.

"Why do you do this? Why come here and play these games with me?" he yelled.

River remained silent.

"Just go. It's not like I see you that much anyway," he muttered.

"You sure know how to break a girl's heart," she said while looking pointedly up the stairs again.

"What about her?" he challenged. His eyes grew dark.

River ignored his question again. "No matter what happens. No matter what you think I will feel, remember I will come back again and things will be right again," she said.

"River…" he warned.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." She turned her back on him and descended from the console area.

"River!"

"What's going on?" Amy asked. Her soft voice brought the argument to a screeching halt.

The Doctor and River both turned toward her, surprised to see her on the stairs. Their previous frustration dissipated at her presence, neither of them wanting to further upset her. Amy had a blanket wrapped around her. One of her hands poked out, holding the ends together in front of her chest. A crumpled tissue hid beneath her fingers and a few splotches of red marred her face. The Doctor momentarily turned away from Amy, wanting to hide the remnants of rage on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw River hurry up the stairs to embrace her in a hug.

"Mother, I'm so sorry," River said. A hint of urgency rang behind her quick words.

Amy broke away from the hug and held River out at arm's length. The Doctor looked directly at the pair now since Amy was focused on River and not himself. Confusion and worry lined Amy's eyes and mouth. The Doctor also felt baffled at River's continued mysteriousness.

"I'm sorry so many bad things have happened to you. Just stay strong, okay, for me? You're so brave, so very brave. Trust me when I say you will get through this, all of it."

Amy frowned a little at River's unsettling words.

"I'm going to… go for a lie down," Amy said, her voice wavering.

"Okay," River replied. Her slight smile held both warmth and sadness. She reached out to Amy once again and hugged her.

"Bye," Amy said with an unsteady smile before climbing back up the stairs.

Once Amy's door clicked shut, darkness crept back onto the Doctor's face and his eyes narrowed.

"What was that?" he hissed while sending a piercing stare at River.

River remained silent and refused to look at him as she floated down the stairs and past the console.

"Goodbye sweetie," she said, lacking the usual emotion behind the pet name. Touching the vortex manipulator at her wrist, she disappeared not allowing him a chance to reply.

"Ugg!" he growled. The Doctor balled his hands into fists and grimaced.

* * *

For an entire month, the Doctor put traveling on hold. His main priority was helping Amy. In her fragile state he could not risk having an unpredictable schedule where he could be gone for hours or even days on end. He quickly settled into this break and made the best of it. There was plenty of work on the TARDIS that had a tendency of getting pushed off when he was constantly running. He had been meaning to do some ordinary repairs, but he also had some major upgrades and other large projects to tackle. So for a month, he accomplished two very important tasks. The first and most crucial, was maintaining a restful environment for Amy and comforting her when need be. Second being when she was asleep or sticking to herself, was working on the long list of repairs and maintenance.

After the month though, when he had finished his initial projects and then completed others he stumbled upon on the way, he grew anxious to get out again. Knowing there was a universe-full of problems that only he could quickly and effectively fix also placed immense pressure on him. He knew that stopping normal life for him and Amy forever would not help her situation any, but he kept this burden to himself. In no way, would he ever force her to do anything she wasn't ready for. However, he needed to continue on his journey and he figured it would be helpful for Amy to see that too.

A few days later, the Doctor found Amy curled up on a sofa beside the pool. She was absorbed in a novel he had recommended to her recently. Written well over 1,000 years ago and one of the first books he read, it was still one of his favorites. It cheered him to see her focusing on that for the past few days. He sat down next to her on the sofa and put his arm around her shoulders. He kissed her hair before silently reading along. At the end of the chapter, he gently interrupted her.

"Hey, I'm going out for a bit. Should be back in a few hours," he murmured.

Amy looked over at him for the first time since he arrived.

"Okay," she said, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead before rising.

Another small smile briefly chased away the frown that she had come to wear so often as she met his eyes. He matched her smile with one of his own before turning to walk away.

* * *

Daryl stood stone still, continuing his stare at a patch of concrete near his feet. Eventually, he snapped to and looked up at Amy. His grim expression instantly gave way to one of surprise and disbelief. He hurried over to Amy while keeping his eyes on the woman beside her the entire time. Stopping in front of Carol, he quickly looked her up and down.

"You're not bit, are ya?" he asked, his voice rough.

If the circumstances had been different, Amy might have laughed at his mannerism. But really, it was kind of cute. Never the less, behind his gruff and socially awkward ways, she could tell he cared about Carol.

"No, I'm fine," Carol said with a grateful smile.

Carl then appeared before Amy with his little arms outstretched.

"Can I?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a faint smile, while easing the baby into his arms.

Carl looked down at the tiny baby, the morose look on his face easing away.

Daryl departed from the group and headed over to Rick when Hershel called out to Carl.

"Let me see the baby."

Carl walked to Hershel with Amy and Carol following behind. As Hershel began to check the baby over, Amy shifted her gaze to Daryl and Rick. Rick at least was back up on his feet, but remained unresponsive to Daryl.

"Rick? You with me, Rick?" Daryl asked, waving his hand in front of Rick's face.

"The good news is she looks healthy," Hershel began and Amy turned her attention back to him. "But she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive."

"Nope, no way. Not her. We ain't losing nobody else," Daryl said as he left Rick. "I'm goin' on a run."

Daryl's eyes first landed on those he usually went out with: Maggie and Glenn.

"I'll go," Maggie said with a nod and a determined look in her eye. She still sniffed a little, and Amy could see the paths her tears had washed through the grime on her face.

"Maggie, I'm not sure that's a good idea right now," Glenn said. His gentle reasoning barely reached Amy's ears.

"No, I have to. For Lori," Maggie said, choking over her words.

Amy approached Maggie and laid a comforting hand on her arm.

"Glenn's right. You've been through so much. Let me do this for you. And Lori," Amy told her, looking Maggie in the eye.

Maggie hesitated a moment and took a shaky breath in.

"Alright," she finally responded.

Amy glanced at Daryl. He remained unreadable as he continued to pace around. At least he wasn't out right objecting to it.

"I've been keeping an eye out for formula on my previous runs," Maggie said, "but all the places have been cleared. There's this daycare that I've wanted to check."

"Where is it?" Daryl asked, momentarily standing still.

"A couple miles up the dirt road past the creek."

Daryl nodded.

Sudden movement caught the entire group's attention. Rick's eyes burned with an unquenchable fury as he snatched his axe off the ground and marched over to the tunnel. He ran up the stairs and disappeared inside.

A sense of despair further settled over the group.

Daryl approached Beth and talked to her under his breath. Amy thought she heard him say "Carl."

Beth nodded at him. "I'll look after him," she said loud enough for Amy to hear.

Daryl then strode away from Beth with purpose.

"Amy! Vamonos!" he called to her.

"Get the gate!" he instructed Oscar as he advanced through the courtyard.

Amy retreated from the group and followed after Daryl.

"Come on! We're gonna lose the light!" Daryl ordered.

Amy broke into a jog to keep up with an animated Daryl. They ran out of the courtyard and down the drive to the gates leading out the prison. Amy saw a motorcycle and a few other cars belonging to the group.

"There's some backpacks in that car over there. Grab two," he said as he indicated to the green SUV.

Amy recognized the car as the one that had more or less taken her as prisoner. As she jogged over to it she mused to herself that if someone told her she would end up staying with the people that snatched her off that road and even come to like them, she would have laughed in his or her face.

_Funny how things change._

She opened the trunk and retrieved two bags before slamming it down again. Running back to Daryl, he looked up at her.

"Ever ride a motorcycle before?" Daryl asked as he hurried to ready the bike. He nudged the kickstand up with his foot before straddling the bike.

"No," Amy replied, eyeing him get the bike ready while she situated both bags onto her back.

"Jus' don't move too much and make sure ya lean into the turns with me," he said. He half-turned to pat the seat behind him. "Let's go."

Amy climbed up on the bike and as it roared to life, she was anything but shy in winding her arms around Daryl's middle. Consequently, she felt his back immediately stiffen at her abrupt touch. Again, had the circumstances been different, not to mention the deafening blare of the engine, Amy might have teased him.

The bike rolled forward slowly and Daryl soon lifted his feet off the ground and to the footrests. Amy tensed a little at the movement and gripped Daryl that much tighter. She felt quite exposed and a bit unsteady on the small seat, but she did her best to remain still.

The double gates screeched open and Daryl and Amy passed on through. She looked over his left shoulder at the road before them. She had not traveled outside of the prison since arriving there so she took in the scenery for the first time. Amy soon relaxed after having adjusted to the motorcycle's movement and Daryl then sped up.

Daryl made a left turn onto a narrow dirt road, and Amy remembered to lean with him. He picked up speed again out of the turn and the rushing air whipped Amy's hair all around her. It didn't take long for her to understand why people like riding on these things as she looked at the woods all around. Sitting behind Daryl certainly did not hurt either.

A building set next to a yard surrounded by a wire mesh fence same into view. Daryl slowed the bike down before setting his feet on the ground and walking it to a stop. He cut the engine and Amy welcomed the silence. Shifting her hands to the top of his firm shoulders for balance, she swung her right leg over the bike. Daryl dismounted next and set the kickstand down.

"Stay tight," he ordered while settling the bike.

"Yeah," Amy agree as she began to scan the area. She followed him to a gate in the fence. He eased it open, but the gate still emitted a harsh squeak. Amy cringed at the noise while looking around at the dense woods that flanked the daycare center. It wouldn't leave them much warning should a herd blow through.

The fenced-in yard contained many pieces of playground equipment. She saw a swing-set, a climbing dome, and a sandbox as they cut across the yard. Other toys sat scattered about in the overgrown grass. Amy imagined the quaint house used to be a special place for the kids. Now, Amy and Daryl regarded the dark and neglected house as a source of potential danger.

Daryl indicated toward a large window and then turned away to keep watch behind them. Amy drew her gun and with the butt of it, she smashed the window. With a few more whacks, she cleared away the pane. Amy poked her head through the opening and peered into the darkened room. Unless someone or something was hiding behind the few pieces of furniture in the room, it looked clear to her. Tucking her gun back into her pants, she turned back to Daryl who continued to scan the area.

"Daryl!" she whispered.

He turned to her and neared the broken window. Taking care of the jagged edges of glass along the frame, Amy passed through first. She scanned the entire room as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Walking across the room to a cabinet, she rounded the furniture that stood in her way with caution as she heard Daryl's feet connect with the floor.

Seeing no danger lurking behind the furniture, she knelt in front of a short cabinet and jerked the doors open. Shining a torch inside, she grinned to find nappies and a few packaged bottles. Stuffing them into her bag, she pulled open the other drawers but none of them contained the prized formula.

Sighing with frustration, she grabbed the bag and decided to check the other cabinets. On her feet, she saw Daryl shining a torch at a wall of colorful handprint cut-outs. Each cut-out had a name scrawled out on it in a child's hand writing. When Amy pointed her torch at Daryl, he shifted his gaze downward and even looked remorseful. The more time Amy spent around Daryl, the less she understood him. On a mission though, she marched over to the other cabinets and dressers, but despite her earnest rummaging, none of them held any formula.

"We've got to check the other rooms," Amy whispered to Daryl.

He nodded and quickly strode over to the door leading to the house's center. Daryl pulled it open and looked back and forth a couple times before moving forward. Amy followed close behind as his torch swept across the darker interior hall. The open doors they passed led only to a few offices. Knowing they held nothing of value to them, they pressed on. The next door on their left had a small baby gate in the doorway. Daryl shined the torch inside and after scoping it out, he nodded to Amy. He stepped over the gate soon followed by Amy.

Inside, Amy saw various counters, cabinets, and tables on one end of the shadowy room. Soft carpets and mats covered the floor with dressers lining the walls at the other end. Amy headed toward the more crowded area and set to work opening drawers and doors and rummaging through the contents. She found some infant-sized clothing and stuffed it in her bag. Amy heard Daryl shuffling through the dressers and occasionally placing items in his bag. About to reach for a few more one-pieces, Amy heard growling and the scraping of feet. She grabbed her bag and tried to scramble to her feet, but in her wild haste, she cut her arm on an open metal drawer.

"Ow!" Amy yelped. A toddler-sized walker lunged at her but she kicked it away before it could make contact. More tiny walkers appeared behind the first and honed in on her.

"Daryl!" she screeched.

An arrow whizzed over her head and struck the nearest walker in the head. Still unable to rise to her feet, she backpedaled until she hit something. She felt Daryl reach down and grab her under the arm, yanking her to her feet and back behind him. Daryl began to load another arrow when he saw Amy reach for her gun.

"No. Too much noise," he whispered harshly.

She then retrieved her knife and ran in front of Daryl to stab a walker that neared him.

"Ready!" he called.

Amy cleared out of the way as another arrow shot past her.

One more walker remained and Amy thrust the knife into the little girl's forehead. Amy jerked the knife out and wiped the blood off before folding it up and stuffing it back into her pocket.

She couldn't believe what the world had become. Here she was stabbing children-sized walkers. One child was brought into the world today, but seeing all the little bodies on the ground, she remembered that many others died a long, long time ago. They were cruelly separated from loving mothers and fathers. Never again would those parents see their children as they used to be. Amy knew the feeling and it overwhelmed her. All she wanted was to leave this room as soon as possible. As she stormed past, she caught Daryl eyeing her arm. Nearing the baby gate, she looked glanced at it too and saw the blood streaking down it.

"Let me see it," he ordered.

"It's nothing!" she snapped as she stepped over the gate.

Daryl bounded over the gate and quickly closed the gap between them in the hall. He grabbed her wrist and forced her up against the wall. The movement startled her as her back collided with the wall. Still gripping her wrist, he drew close to her.

"Did. They. Get. You?" he hissed, saying each word separately as he stared directly into her eyes.

Amy then sighed with understanding. He didn't see her get cut.

"No. I cut myself on a drawer," she explained, her tone considerably softer.

He had already drawn her arm up though, and examined it with the torch as she recounted what happened. When he saw the clean slice, he relaxed some.

Still keeping a firm hold on her wrist, he led her down the hall and opened the next door to a small storage room. Seeing no lurking children inside, he dragged her in and shut the door behind them. Safe for the moment, he finally let her go.

"Come here," he said in a gruff voice. He snatched the red bandanna from his back pants pocket. Amy held out her arm and he tied it over the wound to help staunch the bleeding. She winced a little at the cloth's initial contact but then gave him a half-smile for the help.

"Thanks," she finally said. "Let's check these," she said while indicating to the cabinets all around them. Amy turned and searched her side of the room as he searched his.

"Ah! Finally!" Amy exclaimed with joy at the sight of two canisters of baby formula after tugging open a pair of doors. She took both and set them inside her bag. She wished there were more, but it would at least hold them over for a little while.

Daryl scoffed. "'Bout time."

He headed over to the door and placed a hand on the doorknob before turning toward her.

"Watch my back. No tellin' how many more may have woken up," he said.

Amy nodded in response as she fingered the knife in her pocket. He yanked the door open and scooted into the hall with his crossbow raised. Amy looked over her shoulder several times as they jogged back down the hallway. Nearing the end of the hall, two more children-sized walkers stumbled out of a room. Daryl shot one down and Amy stabbed the other. She yanked Daryl's arrow out of the other child's scull and took off at a dead run with Daryl following behind. They burst into the room they first entered and raced to the window. Daryl motioned for Amy to head out first.

Outside, Amy breathed a sigh of relief in the cool evening air. The sun had already set, but a faint light still bathed their surroundings allowing Amy to see that no walkers roamed outside the fence. Daryl soon climbed through the window and they walked over to his bike. She held the arrow out to him and he gave her his bag before jumping on the bike.

The motorcycle's engine blared and Amy took her seat behind him. Only then, did she feel secure again. Daryl switched on the headlight and they soon rolled away from the eerie daycare. Shadows from the bike's light danced along the forest edge as they picked up speed down the road.

Between the darkness, the stressful events of the day, and the warmth radiating from Daryl's back, Amy eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. She leaned a bit more forward and turned her head to the right before resting it against his back.

For the second time that day, he didn't reject her presence. She closed her eyes as they sped back to the prison.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for the reviews, follows, and for reading! :)

* * *

While Amy did not fall asleep, she appreciated the rest for her weary eyes. When Daryl slowed the bike down, Amy opened her eyes and looked forward again. He made a right turn off of the gravel road, and Amy knew they would return to the prison within a matter of minutes.

Darkness had descended during their ride. The bike's headlight barely pierced the formidable wall of trees on either side of them. Soon the forest abruptly ended, and Amy saw the guard towers and fence of the prison. As they neared, the gates opened before them immediately.

Daryl rode up to the other cars and cut the engine. He and Amy jumped off the motorcycle and headed up the path right away. Daryl grabbed his torch and turned it on before breaking out into a jog. The torch illuminated a meager amount of space before Daryl, but it was enough to allow Amy to follow after his silhouette.

The gravel drive way soon changed to the concrete of the courtyard. They dodged the fallen bodies on their way through the courtyard and to the fenced in tunnel. Amy readied her knife and Daryl raised his crossbow before he flung open the sliding door. Fortunately, they did not run into any walkers on their short trip to their cell block, but as they got closer they heard the baby girl's cries grow louder. Amy's heart beat faster with worry for the little girl.

Busting through the gate between the hall and the side cell, Daryl and Amy found everyone except for Rick, Glenn, and Oscar waiting together in the darkened cell. Carl was holding the baby and unsuccessfully attempting to quiet her.

"Amy!" Carol called in obvious relief. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah," Amy answered as she joined her.

Carol picked up a lantern and scurried to join Amy at the nearest table. Amy folded up her knife before dumping her backpack open on the table as Carol grabbed a canteen of water. The women sorted through the materials. Grabbing the bottles, Amy tore the packaging away. As Carol set to work opening the can of formula, Amy stole a glance away when she heard the baby's cries soften. There stood Daryl holding the baby with a slight grin on his face. Amy nudged Carol when she finished pouring the powder into the canteen. Carol looked up and smiled seeing Daryl swaying with the baby in his arms as she stirred the formula and water together. Glenn and Oscar then entered the room.

Amy smiled over at Carol before Carol left with a full bottle in hand.

"She got a name yet?" Daryl asked Carl with a smile as he held the bottle before the baby.

"No… Not yet," Carl stumbled over his words. "I was thinking… maybe, Sophia."

Daryl's face fell and he looked away when Carl mentioned the name. Carol too, looked more saddened.

Carl continued, "There's Andrea too, and Amy, Jackie, Patricia or… Lori, I dunno." Carl's voice softened after the mention of his mum's name.

The atmosphere further fell as Carl went through his broken list of names, a list of names Amy had no connection to. But the significance was not lost on her as she observed that all the faces around her had turned somber.

Daryl started to coo at the baby to encourage her to continue sucking the bottle. The mood lifted slightly at seeing this different side of Daryl, but someone's absence played at Amy's mind.

She walked over to Maggie and Glenn who stood near Hershel.

"Rick's not back yet?" Amy asked with a frown.

"No," Glenn answered. "I went down to try an' get him back, but he just completely snapped on me. He's not with it all," Glenn said with a sad shake of his head.

Amy sighed. That didn't sound good at all.

"What happened to your arm?" Maggie asked. Hershel also directed his attention to Amy at his daughter's question.

"I cut it," Amy answered as she looked down at the red rag still tied around it. The rag felt damp with blood and stuck to her skin.

"You better let me look at that," Hershel spoke up as he readied his crutches. "Let's go to my cell, where my supplies are at. Grab that lantern over there."

Amy nodded in agreement, grabbed the nearby lantern, and exited the side cell with him. She peered into the dark cell block looking for the walker bodies but found none.

"Are all the bodies out?" Amy questioned.

"Yeah, Maggie and Glenn cleared them out shortly after you left," Hershel answered.

Amy followed him into his cell and set the lantern on the floor near the bunk bed.

Hershel looked to Amy. "Can you get my bag and canteen over there?" he asked as he pointed over to the duffle bag and bottle sitting on the floor of the cell's corner. Hershel took a seat on the lower bunk and Amy joined him once she retrieved the items. He poured some water into a metal bowl and pulled some towels out of the bag.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here," he said.

Amy situated herself so she was facing Hershel and extended her arm.

Hershel untied the rag from her arm and gently peeled it away. Amy winced as the cloth left, which caused the wound to ooze with fresh blood. At least the bleeding had slowed considerably.

Hershel tossed the bloody rag onto the floor and dipped one of his clothes into the bowl. He wringed it out before wiping the wound clean. When the wet cloth met her cut, it stung like none other, but Amy bit her tongue. Hershel prodded at the wound to get a better look at the several inch long cut. She waited nervously for his verdict.

"You got lucky. It's just shallow enough to not need stitches. I'm going to clean it some more and then bandage it."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief as Hershel cleaned the cloth in the bowl, but when he brought it to her skin, her eyes scrunched up tight.

"Look who's taking care of who now?" Hershel joked lightly, trying to lighten her mood.

That got a breathy laugh from her. It certainly was ironic.

Hershel soon placed some white gauze over the pink wound and bound it with blue tape.

"Let me know if it starts to hurt worse, otherwise I will change the bandage later tomorrow," he told her.

"Thanks," Amy said with a smile as she fingered the tape. She snatched Daryl's rag from the floor, intending to wash and return it to him tomorrow. The rag already felt stiff in her hands with the drying blood.

"I'm gonna turn in for the night," Hershel said as he packed up his medical supplies.

"Goodnight," Amy replied.

She exited the cell to find Carl entering the cell block with his baby sister in his arms, followed by Carol and Beth. Beth carried a lantern and the canteen, and Carol juggled the formula, nappies, and extra bottles. Daryl breezed by the group and bounded up the stairs to his usual sleeping spot at the top.

"We can keep her in my cell," Carol offered.

"What do we have for a crib?" Beth asked.

"How about one of the baskets we use for laundry?" Amy proposed when she walked up to them.

"I'm afraid that's the best we've got for now," Carol answered as they all continued down the aisle.

When they entered Carol's cell, the conversation instantly ceased as all four pairs of eyes landed on the lower bed. A few of Lori's folded shirts lay there. A bag of hers along with a few other clothes sat on the floor beside her bed.

After a moment, Carol quickly walked over to the cell's small metal table and set the objects down on it.

The sight of Lori's clothes must have understandably set something off in Carl.

"I think I'm gonna go now," he muttered as he shifted from one foot to the other.

Carol looked on him with a sympathetic nod. Carl gave his sister a quick kiss on the head before handing her off to Beth and exiting from the cell.

"I'll go get that basket now," Amy said and also exited.

She walked across the aisle to the laundry baskets and deposited the rag she carried into the full basket. Picking up the empty one, Amy then remembered the other backpack Daryl had filled. She hadn't even checked it yet.

Amy stopped in the side cell next and found it deserted and dark. She edged along the tables and fumbled around for the backpacks before finding them. Placing them in the basket, she returned to Carol's cell. Amy set the basket down at her feet and opened up Daryl's backpack. To her relief she found a couple pink polka-dotted fluffy blankets along with some more clothing. The group did not have much by way of nice blankets, but this was perfect. She pulled the blankets out and lined the basket with them.

Amy placed the basket on the lower bunk, and Beth nestled the baby inside of it. All three women smiled at the little girl who soon fell asleep in the warm make-shift cot.

Beth spoke first. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight and help take care of her?" she whispered.

"I should be fine tonight, thanks," Carol answered softly. "But let's talk more about this tomorrow. It's going to be difficult to look after her every night."

Beth and Amy exited the cell and parted ways with one last shared smile. Beth disappeared into her nearby cell as Amy climbed the stairs. Amy took care to step around a sleeping Daryl once she reached the top.

She made her way over to her cell at the end and lit a candle inside with a lighter. In the faint light, Amy grasped a set of clean clothes and changed out of her blood-stained ones.

Cleaned up, Amy sat on the lower bed and stared blankly at the whitewashed wall opposite her. While watching the candlelight flicker off the walls, Amy still felt in shock. Everything that happened that day felt like a blur. But a dull pain in her chest let her know it was all very real.

Amy felt guilty for not reaching out to Lori. She knew Lori was hurting and wished she had done more to help her. She also regretted not getting to know T-Dog better. He seemed like a really great bloke. It just went to show that she could not take anyone or anything for granted. She knew she should also try to make the best of everything, because there might not be another chance to do so. Someone she recently took for granted then came to mind.

More than anything, Amy wished the Doctor was with her right then. She just wanted him to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her forehead like old times. He always had a way of making things better.

Her vision soon grew blurry with exhaustion and her thinking ground to a halt. With a sigh, she rose to blow out the candle.

* * *

Beams of sunlight filtered through the bars of Amy's cell and fell on her face. She already felt warm under her thin blanket. Opening her drowsy eyes, she marveled at how late she had woken up. As she began to sit up, she figured sleeping in wasn't the worst thing ever because her body must have needed the rest.

Her heart then froze with an intense pain.

_They're dead._

"No," Amy moaned under her breath. She flopped back down on her pillow and stared up at the mattress overhead. Part of her just wanted to stay in her secluded cell and not face the others after the previous day's horrors. But alas, that would not help anyone.

Amy kicked her worn blanket off and padded down the row and stairs. She swallowed nervously when she saw everyone silently gathered in the side cell. They must have been eating before, but now the bowls sat untouched in front of everyone and they all wore frowns. Beth cradled the baby in and held a bottle in front of her. Carl looked the worst of the lot. He placed his folded hands on top of the table and stared at them. No bowl or food sat near him.

"What happened?" Amy whispered to Carol as she quickly took her seat beside the older woman.

"Rick just showed up," she answered, but her eyes remained creased with worry.

Considering everyone sat in tense silence and Rick was nowhere to be seen, Amy figured he was not doing well and did not push the matter further.

Silently, several of the group picked up their bowls and washed them out before going their separate ways. Amy grabbed a little something as Carol finished eating. Daryl then stopped before them, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Forgot ta give this to ya earlier," he said to Carol while holding her head scarf out. He avoided looking directly at her.

Carol gently took the scarf from him with a pained smile.

Amy ducked her head not wanting to intrude on the moment. It was certainly bittersweet to witness. So many feelings hit Amy. The grief and fear she felt inside the tombs came rushing back along with an immense relief that Carol had managed to escape unharmed from its deadly clutches.

"Thanks," Carol breathed as she looked up to him.

She fingered the scarf as he nodded to her.

"Yer welcome." Daryl stalked out of the cell as he readjusted the crossbow over his back.

Carol picked up her bowl and set it away before exiting the cell with her scarf, leaving Amy alone. Several minutes later, Amy also finished eating. She cleaned her bowl and organized the group's dishware and utensils that were scattered about in disarray.

Amy heard footsteps in the cell and looked up to see Carol walking through with her arms full with clothes. Upon a closer look, Amy realized Carol was carrying Lori's clothes. Amy met her eyes in understanding. Carol reached a little-used shelf and tucked the clothes away and out of sight. Carol left the cell without a word or glance toward Amy, but Amy could plainly see Carol fighting to control her emotions. Amy soon finished up her work in the cell.

* * *

A formidable hush had hovered over the entire group throughout the rest of the day. No one talked more than was necessary, save for the occasional announcement of finding something of use for the baby or worrying over Rick. Other than that, nothing was left to say.

Two of their own were taken in a brutal act of retaliation, as Amy would come to find out more about the inmates. Now, they had to band together and support one another as best they could.

To the group, the world had not become any more brutal, they had seen plenty of this nature before. To them, it was just another savage act on an already long and growing list of horrible events. As for their outlook, the world had not changed much in their minds.

To Amy, it was also an addition to a growing list. A list where each event opened her eyes a bit more to how savage her planet had become. Each time, her situation progressed from one level of bad to another. This time, she began to understand how and why this new world had affected those around her, how it changed and made them what they were presently. They were willing to do anything to hold on to what little they called theirs. And if that meant threatening and killing other people, they did it. This now went beyond the walkers. Amy realized other people held the potential of posing as much of a threat, if not more, than the walkers alone did.

Stopping to think about, Amy realized she had changed too. She wondered how much more she would change before the Doctor came back. That is, if such a day would ever come.

So like a heavy blanket of fog, everyone remained quiet and tried to pick up the pieces the best they could.

* * *

Amy soon set to work cleaning clothes. Even though it was a simple task, Amy felt it was crucial for the group's sake that the bloodied clothes be washed right away. That needed to be put behind them as soon as possible. She picked up the full basket on the main floor.

Amy headed outside and through the courtyard, which proved to be very emotional. The group had just finished cleaning the grounds before all hell broke loose only for it to be tarnished again. Amy weaved around the bodies quickly because the stench burned her lungs.

Once she passed through, she saw a few articles of clothing hanging from their clothes lines. A wash bucket with some clothes soaking in it sat nearby. Sitting down in front of the bucket, Amy began to scrub a button-up shirt when she heard the sound of sniffing nearby. She rose to her feet and walked away, looking for the source of the noise.

Around a corner of the prison building, Amy found Carol sitting up against the brick wall. Carol hugged her drawn up legs and rested her head on them.

"Carol," Amy called in a light voice.

Carol jerked to attention. "Sorry," she said while brushing away the tears with a quick movement of her hand. Amy sat down next to her.

"I miss them too," Amy murmured, her lips tugging down into a frown.

"He saved me, you know," Carol said, her eyes focused straight ahead and far away.

Amy remained quiet, giving her time to speak when ready.

"After we rushed inside, we ran into some walkers. But T, he was so brave. He held them back so I could escape. I wouldn't have made it without him," Carol said. A fresh batch of tears fell as she finished.

"And Lori… Oh Lori," Carol added, taking in a shuddering breath.

"What can we do for Rick?" Amy asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know," Carol answered. "When I lost my…" Carol stopped abruptly mid-sentence. Another sob threatened to rise up, but she fought it back. Carol wiped at more silent tears.

"I don't think there is much that can be done. Everyone has lost someone," she stated without emotion.

"Yeah," Amy sighed. "Only time helps." Amy's voice dropped with sadness but remained unwavering.

Carol looked Amy in the eyes for the first time since Amy sat with her. A few silent tears began to fall down Amy's face and Amy thought she saw a hint of a question behind Carol's look. But Amy also knew she understood.

Carol wiped at her eyes one last time and with a sigh said, "Let's get back to work."

Amy nodded, rose to her feet, and helped Carol up to hers. Amy returned to the soaking clothes and Carol readied another wash bucket.

Washing took the women longer than usual given the bloody state of the clothing. Each had to get up several times to toss the red-brown liquid away and replace it with clean water. Amy could not allow herself to think about the horrid events of the previous day, so she shifted her focus to more amusing matters, such as the interesting relationship between Carol and Daryl.

A brief smile crept to her lips when she remembered seeing the gruff man hesitate approaching Carol earlier. Amy had personally seen how Daryl carried himself in intense situations. He was fierce and nothing seemed to shake him. But put him before the lovely Carol and he completely changed. It pleased Amy that her friend had someone like Daryl watching over her.

As much as Amy wanted to share her thoughts with her friend, she kept it to herself. Today was not a day for joking, but she wouldn't allow Carol to get away with this forever. At a better time, Amy would catch her.

_Now if only the Doctor was around. _

Amy would feel so much better if he was there to look after her like Daryl cared for Carol. Amy wouldn't give up on her Doctor though. She waited before. She could and would do it again.

Amy reached for Daryl's rag and set to work flushing her dried blood out of it. Fortunately, her cut did not feel any worse. So far, it seemed she had escaped getting an infection.

The women continued to work in silence for another hour before finally washing and hanging all the clothing. Carol retreated to the prison and Amy ran down to the garden. She hurried to water all the rows. A few of the plants had sprouted but many more had yet to arrive.

_At least something is going right._

But the plants were not the only thing growing. Amy sighed to herself at the relentless weeds in their garden. Dropping to her knees, she pulled several out. Each weed she yanked away only served to nurse her growing anger and hurt.

Amy thought back on what Carol had said earlier. She told Amy T-Dog had saved her, but no one was there to save him. Granted nothing could ultimately be done for him, but more guilt began to weigh on Amy's mind. Had she made a mistake not following those two into the tombs? Maybe she could have prevented this tragedy from occurring?

Many more weeds remained, but Amy resigned herself to having to push it off until they had recovered from this blow. She rose to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her knees before returning to the prison.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **_Thanks again to everyone for reading/ following/ etc. :D I'd also like to say a special thank you to those who have left reviews. I love reading what you guys think and it really motivates me! xoxo_

* * *

The Doctor continued on with his traveling, and he felt elated to be back at it. There was so very much to see and explore and so many beings who needed his help. The Doctor not traveling was like the Doctor going without his beloved bowtie. It just wasn't right.

So when he stepped outside of the TARDIS doors for the first time after that horrendous accident, an infectious grin spread over his face. He took in the dazzling sight of purple bushes and orange grass. A flying car whizzed overhead, and a pack of glass skyscrapers set across a large meadow reached for the heavens. Walking over the crunchy grass, the Doctor threw his hands up and spun around.

"Hello! I'm back!" he announced even though he stood alone in that field.

True to form, he wandered around gleefully taking in the sights, sniffing things, and occasionally licking objects until something extremely very not good caught his eye. And with that, he spent the next hours breathlessly running down streets and amidst buildings with a group of good-natured and concerned aliens, except for that grumpy one. Soon, evil was defeated.

Well, at least on that particular planet.

The Doctor strolled through the meadow after saluting and waving goodbye to his allies. With a happy sigh and a content smile, he made his way back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor was back traveling and it couldn't be more glorious.

Except for one thing.

His mad, magnificent Pond wasn't by his side. He reminded himself to just give her time and to continue on his own path.

He wasn't really alone anyway. Amy was always on the other side of those doors no matter where he went. But it wasn't the same. He didn't have his girl with him to share in all the experiences, good or bad. He couldn't return to the TARDIS where the two of them unprompted, would burst out laughing over something silly they saw. She wasn't there to curl up next to him when he bemoaned the brutality of some aliens. But he continued on. He wouldn't be the Doctor otherwise, and he would never run away from the promise he made with himself.

So after each of his adventures, he would return straight to Amy, kiss her forehead, and ask how her day had been. Sometimes he came home to her in tears, but that happened less and less. As soon as he stepped foot inside the TARDIS, he completely devoted himself to her, helping in any way he could. He always kept a sharp eye out for any changes in her behavior that would suggest he should cease traveling for awhile, but he never saw anything. Nevertheless, the Doctor refrained from telling her about his adventures. She never asked and he never brought it up. He missed her coming along of course, but he wouldn't give her any indication of how he felt. She needed time and space to herself, and he could easily give her that.

So several months later when Amy approached him with the subject, he couldn't restrain his joy.

He sat on his swing, wearing those ridiculous safety glasses as he tinkered with wiring and cables. Amy drifted down the stairs and walked toward him as he continued to work.

"Let's go," Amy quietly spoke.

The Doctor released his hold on some cables and looked at her. A wry grin began to creep over his face.

"Where?" he asked.

"Wherever you like," Amy said with a giggle.

The Doctor expressed his elation at hearing his own words repeated back at him in the only way he knew how. Exuberantly.

He ripped the glasses off his head, ran over to her, hoisted her up in the air, and proceeded to twirl around.

"Doctor!" she screeched, laughing all the while. She tucked her head against his shoulder, smiling and squealing into his tweed jacket.

He set her down but continued to hold her.

"Sorry Amy! I'm just so… ahh!" he bubbled as he gestured wildly.

He then sobered a bit when a thought crossed his mind.

"Right now?" he asked in eager anticipation.

Amy laughed. "Yeah, right now," she confirmed with a sweet smile.

The Doctor's childlike grin returned, and he abruptly kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand and racing up the stairs.

Only when he reached the console did he let her go, since he needed both hands to excitedly hit buttons and flip switches. He scurried around the console to pilot the TARDIS in record time. Amy ran and grabbed a hold of the console's edge to ready herself for the coming rough landing. When it came, she grinned over at him with a twinkle in her eye.

The Doctor did his best to compose himself before walking over to join her. He held out his hand and gave her another broad grin.

"Come along Pond."

Amy returned his excited grin and grasped his hand. As they ran to the doors, the Doctor couldn't feel happier.

_She's back._

* * *

Everyone, except for Rick and Hershel, gathered together again in the side cell to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Amy sat with Beth who held the sleeping baby with one arm while picking away at some food. The clack of crutches sounded from the hallway beyond the side cell, and they directed their attention to the outer gate to see Hershel standing there. Carl scrambled to his feet with keys in hand to let him in.

"How'd it go?" Carol asked. A concerned frown tugged at her lips.

Hershel just shook his head as he took a seat at one of the tables. Carl locked the door and rejoined the others.

Once Hershel sat, he said, "I tried to tell him that Lori was sorry for the things she had done. She told me she was going to tell Rick that someday. I don't know if he really believed it though."

Hershel paused a bit. Amy could tell everyone was deep in thought, and she figured some were reflecting on what they had seen of Rick and Lori's relationship. Amy herself finally found out about the tumultuous nature of their relationship a couple of weeks before this tragedy.

"He doesn't want to stay here. Doesn't feel its safe," Hershel broke the silence.

Amy's concern rose upon hearing that. That thought had crossed her mind too.

"We're not safe anywhere," Daryl replied.

Hershel nodded in agreement.

"I told him he has gotten us so far. He just needs to take care of himself right now," Hershel concluded.

This didn't make Amy feel any better, and she got the impression they weren't going anywhere despite Rick's concerns. But she reminded herself that Rick indeed was not in his right mind. If the others felt the prison was their safest option that was good enough. With Rick away and unstable, Amy still could not help but feel vulnerable. She knew she didn't need to feel that way though. There were so many strong people in their group.

The baby started to fuss then, breaking Amy from her thoughts. Beth set down her fork to bounce the baby, but she continued to cry.

"She had some formula not too long ago," Beth thought out loud as her brow furrowed in mild confusion. "Unless…" Beth lowered her head toward the baby and made a sniffing noise. "Yep, she needs a diaper change," she concluded.

"Here," Amy said as she reached for the baby. "You finish eating. I'll take care of her."

Beth handed the baby over to Amy. "I'll be right over," she said as she began to gobble down her food.

Amy smiled at Beth's enthusiasm for the little baby. Situating the infant in her arms, Amy grinned down at her.

"Hi there, little one," Amy cooed.

The little one, however, did not reciprocate the sentiment and cried all the louder.

"Alright, alright. We're going," Amy murmured. She rose to her feet and Carol joined her.

"I'll give you a hand," Carol said.

The two women retreated to Carol's cell. Amy rocked the baby in her arms as she watched Carol grab a nappy and a worn blanket.

"I've been using this old blanket to lay her on," Carol explained as she smoothed it over the lower bunk.

Carol scooted over to the bed's end, and Amy knelt down to set the baby upon the blanket. The baby continued to scream and squirm, but Amy set to work undoing the safety pins. Carol leaned over and stroked the baby's head in an effort to comfort her. Amy slid the soiled nappy out from underneath the baby and replaced it with a clean one. She carefully clipped the safety pins in place before rising to set aside the dirty nappy. Carol took the baby in her arms and she soon quieted.

Both women heard the sound of jogging feet and looked up to see Beth rushing inside.

"How is she?" Beth asked quickly.

"Better now," Carol replied with a smile. After a pause she continued on, "I'm thinking we should rotate nights looking after her. That way none of us will get completely exhausted. I'm still feeling pretty good so I can take her again tonight."

"I can take her tomorrow night," Beth offered.

"You feel comfortable with that?" Carol asked.

"I do."

"That'll be great." Carol smiled again.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me." She picked up the dirty nappy and made her way to the cell door. "I'm going to finish the laundry," she said over her shoulder as she exited.

After another quick jog through the courtyard, Amy reached the lines and plucked the clothes off them. While she folded up the clothes, her thoughts turned to the added responsibility of taking care of this child. All their lives had changed overnight, both for good and for bad. It was a strange situation; they were all now responsible to collectively raise a child during the worst possible time.

It was devastating to think that this sweet girl would not be raised by her real mother. That she would never even get to meet her. Something swelled in Amy's heart then to do her best to help the others provide the next best thing for this child.

The next shirt on the line she reached for belonged to T-Dog. Amy's breath hitched in her chest seeing it. She took a couple deep breaths trying to hold it together before gently folding the shirt and tucking it underneath the others in the basket. She would have to stash it away in the side cell when no one was around.

Amy soon gathered the rest of the clothing and made her way back inside with the full basket. On the main floor, a few of the group silently gathered around and collected their few articles of clothing. Amy ascended the stairs to drop off her stuff and Daryl's rag on his makeshift bed.

Back downstairs, Amy made a quick detour to the side cell seeing no one was inside. Wanting to get this over with, Amy quickly stashed T-Dog's shirt in a box on a shelf. She exited the cell with a sick feeling in her gut, but she still had one more stop to make.

Amy peeked inside Hershel's cell to see him sitting on the lower bunk.

"I've got a shirt and pair of pants here for you," Amy said with a smile while handing it over.

"How's your arm?" he asked while accepting the clothing.

"Fine," she answered.

"Good. Do you have time to get that changed?" Hershel asked while motioning to the bandage.

"Yeah," she said. Knowing the drill, Amy retrieved Hershel's black medical bag and took a seat beside him.

As Hershel gently unwound the tape and pried away the bandage, Amy thought about Rick.

"Has anyone else besides you and Glenn talked to Rick?" she asked.

"I don't think so. He's not taking too kindly to having company," Hershel said while examining Amy's wound.

Amy also looked briefly down at the pink wound. It already looked better.

"Where's he at?"

Hershel looked concerned then. "I don't know if that's a…"

"I know," she reassured. "I still want to try."

Hershel sighed quietly before reaching for some fresh gauze.

"I was in the side cell not too long ago and heard him walk through the hallway. Try the catwalk." After a pause he squeezed her hand and added, "It's sweet of you to try."

Amy sent him a sad smile in return.

Hershel soon taped up the bandage and informed her it was healing nicely.

Amy thanked him before leaving with the laundry basket and returning it to the cell block.

* * *

Amy's heart rate quickened as she unlocked the door leading out to the hallway. Locking the door back up, she pocketed the keys and wound through the hallways to the stairs.

She felt for Rick, she really did, but she had never really connected with him before. He usually acted so aloof around her and hearing that he had been unstable lately did nothing to calm her nerves. But something tugged at her heart, so she continued up the stairs.

Whatever she felt about Rick, she pushed aside. None of that mattered now. Her questions of his character would have to wait for another day. All she saw in her mind was a man who had deeply suffered from a traumatic event. Having faced a similar situation herself, she felt compassion for him and was determined to help.

Amy edged the door to the fenced-in catwalk open and looked out onto it. The orange glow of evening settled around them. There, she saw Rick for the first time since the courtyard. He stood staring far off into the distance and grasping the fence in front of him with one hand. Amy stepped out and quietly clicked the door shut behind her. Slowly, she approached him.

Stopping at a respectable distance, Amy joined him in staring past the fence. After a moment she hesitantly dared to take a look at him, but he did not respond. Rick paid no attention to Amy's presence, and his eyes held a harsh glint. She easily saw how much tension he carried. His back looked stiff, and his knuckles turned white from his grip on the fence.

Amy quickly looked away, knowing that staring at him would not help any.

He didn't need this. What he needed was to push the group's worries away and deal with his own stuff. Instead, he stood there with his grief buried inside a brick wall. While Amy realized there was no relaxing in this kind of situation, she wished he'd do something, anything, so long as it wasn't done in violence. Everything about him was so rigid, as if he let down his guard even a little bit, everything would come crashing down. Amy wondered if the only emotion the group would see from him had already happened in the courtyard.

As she worked up the courage to speak to him, her heart thudded in her ears.

Softly she spoke, "I know what it's like."

Amy didn't think it possible given what she had already seen, but Rick grew tenser. His eyes darkened a shade before angling his shoulders away from her.

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Rick growled under his breath. His jaw clenched tight and he continued to look forward.

Amy remembered Hershel's caution and seriously thought she was out of line to be speaking to him, but she forced herself to answer.

"I lost my husband."

Rick blinked before shifting his gaze to his feet, and Amy grabbed this opening to continue.

"I know there's nothing that can be said and how nothing makes sense right now. Just know that you're not alone in this."

Rick did not move, but the harsh edges of his face softened a little. He still refused to look at her though, and Amy took that as her cue to leave.

"Well, that's all I guess." Amy finished. She looked to him again hoping for some sort of response but got none. Turning to take her leave, his voice stopped her.

"How?" he asked in a thick voice.

Amy looked to him, a question in her eyes.

"How did you lose him?" he clarified.

Amy gave him a tortured smile even though he didn't look at her.

"You wouldn't believe it."

He let out a short, harsh laugh. "Right. That again," he said bitingly.

Amy sighed and dropped her gaze.

For the first time he looked briefly at her.

"Sorry. That was horrible," he said as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Don't worry about it," she said automatically.

Amy looked up at him, and for the first time she thought she saw a glimmer of how vulnerable he truly was.

"I… I have to get back," Rick whispered as he strode past her.

As he walked away, something rose up inside of her. She would not let this go. She felt a responsibility to eventually share her experiences with him and to pay forward the help the Doctor had given her. Amy personally knew how a little kindness could have a powerful impact during a tragedy.

That is if she hadn't inadvertently made Rick more upset with her.

Once the door shut behind him, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Her hands shook a bit now that she stood alone. Amy remained outside for awhile and watched the evening sky while gathering her thoughts. With another sigh, she made her way back to the side cell.

Inside, Amy found Carol and Beth busy at work preparing dinner. Beth flitted around with a crying baby in one arm and juggling plates with the other.

"Shh, shh. It's okay sweetie." Stopping, Beth cooed to the girl, but she continued to cry. Beth sighed and closed her eyes.

Amy stepped forward to her. "Here, let me take her. Give you a little break."

"Thanks," Beth replied softly.

Amy took the baby and leaned her against her chest while patting her back.

"She's due to eat again," Beth said while setting out more plates.

"I'll take care of it," Amy said.

Amy continued rubbing the infant's back as she returned to the cell block. The baby's shrill cries reverberated throughout the lofty area. Amy hugged her tighter and murmured to her as she entered Carol's cell. Setting the still crying baby in her basket, Amy hurried to mix up the formula and pour it into a bottle.

Grabbing an old towel and placing it over her shoulder, Amy picked the baby back up and situated the bottle in front of her. The baby immediately settled and greedily began to suckle.

A faint smile tugged at Amy's lips at how content she looked.

"There you go, sweet thing," she murmured to her.

Movement sounded in the cell block, and Amy too, headed back to the side cell knowing dinner was ready.

Amy took a seat as the others began to filter in. She looked down at the baby in her arms, and for the first time since she was born she took a real good look at her. She took in everything. From her chubby clamped up fists, wrinkled face, puffy eyelids, red blotches, and her tiny tuff of hair atop her head, Amy loved it all. While none of that sounded particularly appealing on its own, babies always had a way of looking perfect. All those little newborn traits reminded Amy of Melody, and that left a pang in her heart.

The bottle soon emptied, and Amy gently tugged it away as the baby continued to mouth it.

"All done, all done," Amy whispered to her. Another small smile played at Amy's lips.

Amy grabbed the old rag on her shoulder and carefully wiped the baby's mouth clean after she gurgled a bit.

Save for the clack of dinnerware and the occasional murmured conversation, it remained very quiet in the cell. The content baby soon closed her eyes and fell asleep, and Amy savored the contact and warmth the baby provided against her body.

Everything felt so peaceful. While Rick's absence remained a source of worry, Amy felt at ease. At least for the moment, but that was good enough for her. Trustworthy people surrounded her and she wasn't in imminent danger. That was a stark contrast from her time with Melody.

Thinking of Melody, Amy felt her resolve begin to waver.

Not only was Amy held captive at Demon's Run for several months and Melody was separated from Amy after birth, but the Doctor still could not prevent ultimately losing the baby. She remembered how she had rebuffed his comfort afterward. He lost Melody and she blamed him for it. Amy was robbed of the only opportunity of raising her daughter, or any more children of hers for that matter, in a normal manner. Back then, she knew Melody would be just fine. She knew who she would become, the one and only River Song. So it wasn't a fear for her life. As Amy held the baby in her arms, she had a glimpse of what she had missed out on. That cut deep and painfully through her heart.

Her eyes blurred with tears which soon spilled over.

"Hey, are you alright?" someone whispered.

Amy blinked quickly and looked up again. She saw a concerned Carol looking over.

Amy quickly brushed away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"Oh sorry, yeah," Amy said. She quickly busied herself with spooning some food onto her plate and picking away at it.

Carol frowned with concern but did not say anything further before returning to eating.

Amy alternated between looking at the baby and finishing up her small dinner.

After Amy took her last bite, Carol scooted closer to her.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Carol questioned under breath as she studied Amy's face.

Amy nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah, it's nothing."

Amy then saw Beth also glancing her way. Feeling uncomfortable with the attention, Amy looked down once more at the baby. "She's just so precious."

Carol hummed in agreement but continued to scrutinize Amy.

"Thanks for helping earlier. I can watch her now if you'd like," Carol finally said.

Amy smiled and handed the baby over. Rising to put away her plate, Amy crept away.

* * *

Amy disappeared to the privacy of her cell for a couple hours after dinner to mend some clothes. Feeling a little better, she headed downstairs to Carol's cell to check in once more before bed.

Instead, she found Beth sitting on the bed cradling and feeding the baby in her arms. A lump formed in Amy's throat as all the emotions from dinner bubbled up in her. Amy flushed slightly and blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. Beth looked up at Amy and her lips pinched in concern for her older friend.

"You okay?" Beth asked.

"Yeah," Amy breathed, her voice wavering.

Beth smiled sympathetically at her before glancing down at the baby. Amy took a seat beside her, and the two of them silently watched the newborn.

While quieter, this day had proven to be nearly as difficult as the last. The shock and sadness of what had happened still physically hurt them. The only thing that made sense to the girls was sitting there and watching the baby. They enjoyed observing her stare all around with big eyes, gurgle, and smile. That baby girl effectively lifted their spirits, and was exactly what they needed right then.

After sitting in complete silence for a long while, Amy reached over and rubbed Beth's back in a comforting manner before standing to leave. Beth looked up and gave her a little smile before Amy left.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **_I'm so sorry again for another late update, my dears! School/work started up, I got sick, etc, and I was stuck for a while on how to make this chapter longer. Lol, then this ended up being my longest chapter yet. Hopefully that is okay with you all. ;) _

_Please know that I will not abandon this story. I feel strongly that if I start something that impacts other people I will finish it. Besides, I completely love working on this fic. The more time that goes by, the more excited I get about new ideas that come to me! I'd also like to give a shout-out to my guest reviewer from last chapter, thank you!_

_Lastly, I decided that I probably should have disclosed ships in the summary/ chapter 1, so I updated that. I apologize for not being clear about this. Haha, I've been very secretive about future stuff, but I figured that I was not being fair by keeping that particular aspect back. I've expanded upon this matter in chapter 1's A/N if you're interested._

* * *

"No words can describe this senseless act other than we lost two of our own."

Hershel's words hung heavy in the air as he took a pause. His somber words snaked between each of the group even though a gentle breeze blew along the open field.

He stood beside the two freshly dug graves. Two crudely-made wooden crosses marked the head of each.

The group made a rough semi-circle around the graves. Amy stood at the group's outer edge with the baby in her arms. Daryl also hung behind the others and, for once, remained rooted in place. Their fearless leader, however, did not stand with them, and everybody felt his absence.

The infant began to whimper, and Amy rubbed comforting circles on her back in an effort to keep the whimper from progressing to a full-fledged cry. When she continued fussing, Amy began to pace slowly around and look at the others.

Everyone's gaze fell on the ground at their feet. Carol stood with Carl, her arm draped over his small frame. Beth stood near them with a few flowers in her hands.

As soon as the group had woken up and eaten, they decided it best to hold their memorial service in the morning before they all went their separate ways for the day.

"When we all met, we were strangers," Hershel continued, "but we eventually banded together. We didn't just lose two friends; we lost two of our family. A family never forgets each other."

Hershel took a deep breath. " Lori and T-Dog will always hold a spot in our hearts," he finished, his voice laden with emotion.

A few in the group wiped their eyes and sniffled. When Hershel finished his speech, Beth stepped forward and laid her flowers on both graves. Hershel gave her a hug, and Maggie and Glenn approached Carol and Carl to embrace them as well. Daryl headed out as soon as Beth laid the flowers down, and the rest of the group separated shortly after.

So many emotions welled up inside Amy having witnessed the group's memorial. She could easily see what Hershel said about the group being a family. And yet, she still felt herself belonging to the edges.

Fortunately, Amy had managed to quiet the baby during Hershel's talk, but she began to grow restless again and cry. Amy trudged up the field's hill while murmuring to the baby.

"Do you need a new nappy, sweetie?"

Amy figured she was due for a change.

Amy made her way to Carol's cell and changed the infant's nappy. Just as she finished up, Beth appeared and offered to look after the baby. Amy accepted and gave Beth a hug before moving on.

* * *

Headed toward the garden, Amy passed through the courtyard and beyond the clothes lines when she saw Rick sitting up against the building's wall. His shoulders slumped, and he held a hand over his eyes. The scrape of her shoes against the concrete alerted her presence to him, and he quickly dropped his hand and looked away from her.

"Oh, sorry!" Amy quietly apologized for disturbing him.

Rick waved her off, but continued looking away.

She stood there awkwardly for a few moments before speaking again. "I'll… I'll go now," Amy breathed and began to turn away.

"Wait," he pleaded quietly as he looked after her. "Stay please."

Surprised at his request, Amy met his gaze and found him looking vulnerable for the first time. His eyes held a softness momentarily unblocked by the walls he previously threw up. She saw his genuineness. He really did not want to be alone.

"I just… I don't want the others to see me like this," he admitted quickly as he stared at the ground.

Amy nodded in silent understanding.

"I get it. It's easier to be around a stranger sometimes," she added.

Rick nodded weakly in agreement. "Sorry I've been more or less ignoring you all this time," he sighed while briefly looking up at her.

"Don't worry about it," Amy answered.

Rick closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. Strained silence hung over them for a moment before he spoke again.

"You can sit, you know," he said without opening his eyes.

Amy took her seat beside him and silence fell again.

"How long did it take?" he finally asked, his eyes still closed.

"Before what?" she asked back.

"Before you got your life back?"

Amy sighed. "Months."

The air grew heavy with her statement. "Really, life's never been the same since," she added.

"I don't have months," Rick stated dully.

Silence fell again, and Amy knew he was referring to his role as leader. Her heart broke at how he talked about a highly emotional issue like it was nothing. Like he was asking her for directions or something. This world had changed him, made him dull. And it wasn't just him. It was all of them.

"What helped you?" he asked with a heavy sigh.

"Doing something. My friend and I started traveling again."

Amy's eyes drifted across the field at the memory when an idea came to her.

She turned so she faced him, and Rick opened his eyes and looked over at her.

"How about we clean out those bodies from the courtyard?" Amy suggested.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed easily.

Sadness crept over his face again. "Just give me another minute before we go," he said.

Amy rested her shoulder against the wall and placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

Sitting in easy silence, Amy let her hand rest on his arm until he cleared his throat a few minutes later.

"Alright, let's go," he said, looking over at her with a sad half-smile.

They rose to their feet, and Amy silently followed him back inside.

Despite Rick being on the edge of a breakdown earlier, Amy noticed a change in him from the previous day. He seemed more in touch with his surroundings along with finding a different resolve.

Inside the side cell, they found Beth and Carl sitting with Hershel who held the baby.

Hershel looked up and met Rick's gaze with a smile. Rick walked over to him, and Hershel eased the baby into his arms.

Cradling the infant in his arms, a smile slowly crept onto Rick's face. He situated her so that she leaned against his chest. Craning his head down, he placed a soft kiss atop her head.

Amy took a seat beside Beth and Carl at their table, never taking her eyes off Rick and the baby all the while. Resting her chin on her hand, a smile also played at Amy's lips seeing Rick hold his daughter for the first time.

She personally knew Rick had a long and difficult road ahead of him, but that could momentarily sit at the back of both their minds.

Enraptured by the sight of his baby, Rick continued looking down as he spoke.

"Carl, would you let the others know that we're going to burn the walkers now?" Rick murmured.

Amy looked to Carl whose face also appeared temporarily free from grief.

"Sure," Carl answered with a small smile. He hurried over to the cell block.

Amy looked to Rick who swayed gently back and forth. She saw his lips move as he murmured to the child.

Carl soon returned with Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Oscar, and Axel. Carol beamed and clasped her hands together seeing Rick had returned and was holding the infant. Rick looked up briefly and shared a smile with her. Looking down again, he kissed the baby's head once more.

"I can watch her while y'all work," Hershel offered.

Rick nodded and handed the baby back to him before stepping back into his leader mode.

"Glenn, let's get the trucks. Make things a little easier on us," Rick directed.

Glenn nodded in response.

"We also need to re-collect the firewood," Rick added, speaking to everyone.

A brief shadow of grief passed over his face. He gave a slight shake of his head before leading the way out.

Carl chased after him. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," Rick replied. He hung back as the others passed him and waited for his son to catch up before they exited the cell.

Amy and Beth rose to their feet and Beth approached her dad.

"I'll come back soon to check in on you guys," Beth told him.

"Thanks Bethy," he replied with a smile.

The two girls followed after the others in the dark hallways and soon were greeted by the outside light.

As they passed through the courtyard, Rick stopped and pulled a few walkers together and indicated that being the spot for the second pile. The others had formed the first pile but didn't get a chance to burn it when their security was breached.

Daryl approached then from the far side of the courtyard and met up with them. Everyone else in the group paired up and began dragging nearby bodies to the pile.

Amy approached Daryl. "Where's the firewood at?" she asked.

"Down in the lane. We're gonna hafta get more from the woods too," he replied.

"I'll go with," she volunteered.

Daryl nodded his acceptance. He strode off toward the driveway, and Amy approached Beth and Carl who struggled to tug a nearby walker over.

"Daryl and I will stack up the wood at the end of the lane if you guys want to carry it up. Should be easier than this."

"Thanks," Beth replied gratefully as beads of sweat already began to dot her forehead.

Amy broke into a jog to catch up with Daryl. Soon they reached the lane's gate, and Daryl picked a key from his ring to open it.

Quickly walking down the lane, the only noise they heard was the crunching gravel beneath their feet. A few corners later, they saw the firewood scattered across the lane, still yet to be picked up since it was abandoned in haste a couple days prior.

A pit formed in Amy's stomach. She looked past the fence and up to the courtyard. Amy's mouth went dry at the thought of what Rick and the men must have felt while stuck in this maze of fences, their only choice being to run.

Amy stooped down and gathered up the stray pieces of wood as Daryl did the same. Winding back through the lane, they silently dropped off their bundles at the run's beginning and returned to gather up the rest. After another trip, they cleared the lane and approached the fence's hole held together by a red piece of wire.

Daryl undid the wire and helped hold one side for Amy to pass through first. Daryl stepped through next and as he partially closed the fence's gap again, he spoke to her under his breath.

"Use your knife if you can. Don't want to attract any more of these assholes."

He motioned to the few drifting around in the area. Amy nodded silently, and they slipped into the woods unnoticed.

Daryl led and soon she saw a fallen tree with many chopped pieces surrounding it.

Silently, they each gathered up an armful and made their way back to the fence. Once inside the lane, Amy breathed a sigh of relief before they marched back. Knowing they would have to make several more trips, they hurried to cover the long distance the lane covered. After dropping off the bundles at the end again, they repeated the trek out into the woods.

As they wound their way along the wooded path, Daryl stopped suddenly in front of Amy. He stared between the trees intently, and Amy looked along with him but could not tell what had captured his attention. Suddenly he turned to half-face her. After pointing to his eyes, he next pointed ahead of them.

Amy's eyes grew wide at the meaning, but she remained quiet and listened closely. Sure enough, she soon heard brush being disturbed.

Daryl met her eyes and silently pointed in another direction. Amy crept after him while remaining mindful of her feet. Her heart thudded in her ears with fear that the walkers would hear them.

Each step over fallen branches and around clumps of brush put that much more distance between them and the walkers. After several tense minutes, Amy recognized the area around the fallen tree and better yet, she could not hear the crash of walkers in the underbrush.

Daryl came to a stop again and motioned behind him for her to stop also. While surveying the area, he indicated for her to come near.

"Looks like we lost 'em for now," he whispered, "but we can't take that path back. Grab as much as you can 'an follow me."

They quickly gathered up the wood, and Daryl led the way to an overgrown path.

Unruly branches stuck out poking and scarping Amy as she went. She could feel her arms getting scratched up from the branches and they ached under the strain of the awkwardly-sized load. A branch then snapped into her face and caught her in the eye. Immediately, she teared up from it stinging, but she continued stumbling forward in an attempt to keep up with Daryl.

The next thing she knew, she went flying forward and ate dirt.

All the firewood scattered around her. On her hands and knees, she looked behind her to see what made her trip. A large, fallen branched jutted up from the forest floor. Attempting to quickly gather up the wood, Amy's hands trembled as panic began to take hold.

When she heard more firewood clattering against the ground, her heart leapt into her throat. Daryl's boots ran into her field of vision and she quickly looked up at him. His mouth set into a grim line, and his eyes held a determined glare as he looked through the sites of his crossbow and at something behind her.

That's all it took for Amy to abandon what little firewood she had gathered and scramble to her feet. While doing so, she heard the click of the crossbow followed by the wiz of an arrow flying overhead.

Amy's fingers snared her knife from her pocket, and once on her feet, she saw two more walkers behind the fallen one. Running ahead, she leapt over the downed walker and shoved the closest one to the ground. Stepping on it with one foot, she bent over and thrust her knife into the back of its skull. Another arrow zoomed past her and Daryl ran over to join her. Stepping in front of her, he searched the path. Amy looked along again but saw nothing.

"Go back to my pile and get what you can," he instructed under his breath.

He stared down the path for a few more seconds before retrieving his arrows and hurrying after her.

They both gathered the fallen wood as quickly as they could when they heard a twig snap further down the path.

Immediately, they both looked up and at each other.

"Run!" he whispered.

He let her pass by first as he watched the path. Once she got a decent start, she heard him tearing after her. She knew they were both defenseless, unless they wanted to drop their cargo yet again.

Stumbling through the narrow path, tree branches and leaved whipped in Amy's face as she raced along. More branches and barbed vines cut into her arms, and her fingers hurt from digging into the rough bark. Hearing the continued crashing trailing her, she knew Daryl followed close behind.

Soon they stumbled out into the clearing that surrounded the prison's fence. Finally free from the brush, the duo broke into a full-out run. Amy felt a little disoriented in the bright light compared to the forest they had just come from. She panicked again when she could not find the fence's opening.

Daryl, however, immediately set left, and Amy raced after him. They ran alongside the fence until the red wired-up hole came into view. Daryl slid to a stop in front of it and dumped his pile off to the side.

He quickly did away with the wiring to expose the opening as Amy scanned the forest's edge. Movement further down caught her eye. Several walkers spilled out of the forest's reach and looked in Amy and Daryl's direction. The walkers broke into their limping jog, and Amy's heart rate spiked.

"Daryl!" Amy hissed.

Daryl already had his eyes fixed on the incoming threat when she turned to him.

"Get in!" he ordered as he pried the metal fence open.

Amy scooted inside and dumped her load off to the side. She looked back to see Daryl already gathering up some of his pile.

This time, Amy held the fence open for him as he shoved the pieces of timber inside the lane. After repeating this several more times, Amy looked up to see the walkers lumbering toward Daryl with only fifteen or so feet between them.

"Hurry!" Amy cried.

Daryl picked up the remaining pieces off the ground and shoved them into her awaiting arms. Amy grabbed the firewood and scooted out of the way as Daryl scraped through the jagged opening. Daryl stumbled to his knees from the effort followed by the walkers slamming into the fence.

Amy drew her knife and dashed over to the fence. Her heart thudded violently as the walkers began to claw at the opening. She positioned her knife through the links and stabbed the closest one as Daryl scrambled to his feet. He charged the opening and with a flying kick at the fence, he sent the walkers stumbling backwards.

With the little time he gained, he set to work sewing up the fence's gap. Amy moved closer to Daryl and readied herself to get them. She quickly took out the nearest walkers first. Daryl managed to keep on working, and Amy soon dispatched of the rest.

The tension dissipated once Daryl finished up with the fence. Clutching it, he leaned forward, his sides heaving from the effort. However, it was the red scratches on his arms that caught Amy's eye.

Creeping forward, she stood next to him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. She intended to only get a better look at it, but Daryl instantly flinched away.

"Sorry," she said as she retracted her arm.

"'S okay," he mumbled in return with his eyes cast downward. "We gotta get this back," he said before stooping to pick up the scattered wood.

Amy did the same and soon they made their way down the lane in silence.

Amy sensed they wouldn't be trekking out into the woods again, unless they got a lot more help. She figured they had enough wood anyway.

At the lane's end, they saw Beth and Carl striding over to pick up a load.

Beth's eyes widened when she saw how scratched up they were.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Amy quickly assured her. "Ran into walkers and had to take a rough path."

Beth nodded in relief.

Daryl looked to Carl. "Would you get ma keys and lock this up?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah," Carl replied before snatching the keys off Daryl.

While Carl closed the gate, Beth began gathering the firewood into her slender arms.

Amy and Daryl retreated back up the driveway and to the courtyard's center. When Amy saw the cleared concrete save for the two piles of walkers, she considered the dangerous trek into the woods well worth it. She immediately felt a sense of freshness, and a slight smile traveled to her lips.

She saw Maggie placing a few pieces of wood throughout the second pile of bodies. Daryl and Amy added their loads to her wood pile. Maggie looked up from her work, and once she saw Amy and Daryl her lips pinched with concern. Carol also looked semi-alarmed at their state.

"You okay?" Maggie mouthed.

Amy quickly nodded.

Glenn drove across the courtyard with the truck bed full of walker bodies. He backed the truck up to the pile and killed the engine. Oscar and Axel, who stood nearby, dropped the tailgate and climbed up.

While they began tossing bodies out of the back, Glenn exited the truck and approached the others.

"Rick's got one more load to bring over," he informed them.

Daryl spotted the other truck and strode over to it.

Beth and Carl then joined them in the yard with their loads, dropped them off, and turned right around to get the last batch.

The group worked together to layer bodies and wood, and soon Rick and Daryl drove up in the truck as Beth and Carl returned with the last load of firewood. Beth returned inside as she had promised her dad earlier. With the rest of the group working together, they soon emptied both trucks and lit the second pile on fire.

The pile quickly grew into a raging bonfire forcing everyone to back up due to the intense heat. Several minutes later the fire settled into a more manageable size and Rick, Daryl, Carol, and Oscar headed over to light the other pile.

Amy took a seat at a nearby table and watched the flames dance and the hot air billow above it. Staring at the fire had a semi-mesmerizing effect on her and, she realized just how tired she felt. After all the hard physical labor and the stress of being out in the woods, it felt good to sit down and do nothing.

"You know you're a sight for sore eyes," a male voice stated nearby.

Lost in her daze, it took a moment for Amy to register that Axel was talking to her.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're a very beautiful woman. After livin' in prison with those dudes for so long… well it wasn't easy. You feelin' me?"

Amy narrowed her eyes at what he was implying.

"Umm, thanks," Amy said dubiously.

"Are you single?" he asked.

Amy couldn't restrain herself any longer and let out a harsh laugh. She rose to her feet and headed for the tunnel leading inside the cell block.

"You can't blame a dude for tryin'," he insisted in that high, whiney voice of his.

Except to laugh again, Amy ignored him.

No one occupied the side cell when she entered it. She walked to the cell block and saw Beth sitting on the stairs with the baby lying on her legs.

Beth looked up at Amy with a smile.

"Did you hear her new name?" Beth asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"No," Amy answered, her interest piqued.

"Judith," Beth said. "Her name's Judith. Carl named her after one of his teachers."

"Hmm. Hi, Judith," Amy said to the baby and grinned. "I'm so glad you have a name now."

The baby gurgled in response which made Amy and Beth giggle.

Amy looked over at Beth and noted the dark circles under her eyes.

"You look tired," Amy remarked.

"Yeah," Beth said with a good-natured smile. "Getting up every two to three hours is rough."

"You want me to take tonight?"

"No. I think I've got another night in me, and I really like watching her. How about tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good."

Amy bent over to stoke the baby's cheek before climbing the rest of the stairs.

* * *

Over the next couple days, the intense loss the group felt dulled to an overhanging pain.

On a comfortable afternoon two days later, Amy decided to take the baby outside. Carol walked along with Amy down to the garden.

As Amy settled herself with Judith in the grass, Carol grabbed a bucket and worked her way through the rows and watered the plants. They still had not gotten any rain which made watering the garden a daily chore. While the little sprouts were growing, Amy wondered if the lack of rainwater was stunting their growth.

She returned her focus back to Judith. Amy made goofy faces at her and talked in a high baby voice. Judith seemed to enjoy the attention and occasionally made her own happy screeches.

Carol soon finished with the watering and took a seat beside Amy on the grass. She looked on the silly commotion beside her with an amused smile.

"Did you see the look on his face when you joined us in the courtyard?" Amy asked.

"Who?" Carol asked somewhat distractedly.

Amy laughed aloud. "You guys are so cute! I can't stand it."

That got a still confused but now direct look from Carol.

"Daryl!" Amy blurted out after a pause.

Carol snorted. "No, I didn't," she replied, clearly amused at Amy's antics.

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Well, you saw how concerned he was when he came over?"

"Yeah," Carol answered, still not getting Amy's point.

"Ugg! Why don't you two get together?" Amy exclaimed. "Carol, I saw him. He thought you were dead and it broke him. I just want you two to be happy. You deserve this."

Carol gave Amy a kind smile at her persistence, but didn't match Amy's enthusiasm in her response. "Daryl… well, he's very different. You wouldn't know it by his hard exterior, but he's been through a lot," she gently explained. "Maybe someday though," Carol added and gave her a hopeful smile.

After a pause, Carol spoke again. "I will give you this, Amy. Daryl has helped me time and time again over the past year and for that I will be forever grateful."

Amy gave an exaggerated sigh. "Okay."

Carol grinned over at Amy's teasing.

"You are definitely a unique addition to this group," Carol said with a wink.

"Oi!" Amy exclaimed.

Carol gave her a knowing grin, and Amy laughed back.

An easy silence fell over them for several minutes.

When Amy noted Carol grinning to herself and unsuccessfully trying to suppress it, Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Uh oh, what are you thinking over there?" Amy asked jokingly.

"Did you hear that Daryl named the baby 'Little Ass Kicker' on the first night?"

Amy chuckled. "He would," she said with a shake of her head.

Both women laughed over that for several minutes.

After another silence, Carol spoke up.

"Amy, can I ask you a question?"

Amy glanced up from the baby laying on her legs and to Carol who was looking at her.

"Yeah, of course," Amy replied with an easy smile.

But Amy heard the hint of seriousness behind her question. Feeling nervous because of it, she dropped her gaze down to Judith. Amy stroked her check, eliciting a giggle from her. Amy grinned in return as Carol began to speak.

"Are you a mother?"

Amy remained gazing at the baby, but her grin dampened. Taken aback by the question, she struggled to answer right away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Carol said, her lips pinched with concern.

Amy waved her off. "No, no, you're fine," she quickly insisted while sending Carol a weak smile.

"I just see it in the way you are with her," Carol explained, still looking uncomfortable.

Amy nodded weakly. "I am, yeah."

After a pause, Amy spoke again. "My daughter… I lost her when she was just a baby."

Carol's eyes widened with shock, and she covered her mouth with a hand.

Seeing the grief on Carol's face, Amy quickly assured her. "She's fine now. Well, I think she is," she added quieter.

A tense silence stood between the pair. Amy thought about Melody as a baby and about all those moments she lost as a result. She wondered too if she would in fact ever see her daughter again given the circumstances. While traveling with the Doctor, Amy had taken it for granted that she would sooner or later bump into River again. The timing of visits was usually a surprise, but at least they happened. Now, Amy could not say the same thing with certainty. She not only feared long it would take, if ever, when she would see the Doctor again, but also when she would see River.

Amy wondered what sort of adventures River was getting up to. She wondered if River was still mad at the Doctor or if they had put the past aside yet. It tore her heart at the thought that at that very moment, the Doctor and River may have accidently or deliberately crossed paths and Amy wasn't there to be with those she loved the most.

Amy looked over at Carol and could tell she had something weighty on her mind as well. She wondered if Carol was possibly thinking about a child, maybe even her own, like Amy was. Over time, Amy had felt more certain Carol was a mother as well. Carol cared for the baby better than anyone and always had all the answers regarding her care. The way Carol had just questioned Amy was further proof in Amy's mind.

Still, Amy couldn't be sure. Carol had never mentioned anything about children of her own. But Amy had seen it in Carol numerous times; grief weighed her down.

Amy knew as well as anyone that this world had done bad things to them. Things that were not meant to be shared. Amy's heart ached that there was even a possibility that Carol might have lost a child as well.

Maybe Carol would open up to her someday.


End file.
